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2006 US NEWS HISTORY ARCHIVE

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`2007 US NEWS < 2006 US NEWS HISTORY ARCHIVE > 2005 US NEWS`

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2006 US News:

20061225

US - Iraq-Christmas

"In Baghdad, a Christmas patrol." ... "The sun was just beginning to rise, bringing a dim glow on a cold and clear Christmas morning in Baghdad, but the U.S. Army mission was late." ... "The Stryker armored vehicles were supposed to have rolled from Forward Operating Base Loyalty 11 minutes ago, at 6:30 a.m., yet soldiers were still milling about outside the green machines, shivering in bulletproof jackets and Kevlar helmets." ... "Christmas was another working day for many in the battalion, heading out to cordon off a dangerous section of eastern Baghdad and go house to house searching for insurgents, weapons and bomb-making materials." ... "But the holiday - and thoughts of friends and family back home - never left their minds." -By Will Weissert -AP via -SeattlePI.NWsource

Military - Money -Law - Politics

"Interior, Pentagon Faulted In Audits: Effort to Speed Defense Contracts Wasted Millions." ... "The Defense Department paid two procurement operations at the Department of the Interior to arrange for Pentagon purchases totaling $1.7 billion that resulted in excessive fees and tens of millions of dollars in waste, documents show." ... "Defense turned to Interior, which manages federal lands and resources, in an effort to speed up its contracting. Interior is one of several government agencies allowed to manage contracts for other agencies in exchange for a fee." ... "But the arrangement between Interior and Defense "routinely violated rules designed to protect U.S. Government interests," according to draft audit documents obtained by The Washington Post." ... "More than half of the contracts examined were awarded without competition or without checks to determine that the prices were reasonable, according to the audits by the inspectors general for Defense (DOD) and Interior (DOI). Ninety-two percent of the work reviewed was awarded without verifying that the contractors' cost estimates were accurate; 96 percent was inadequately monitored." ... "They examined 49 deals and concluded that 61 percent had evidence of "illegal contracts, ill advised contracts, and various failings of contract administration procedures."" ... "The Interior inspector general said Defense "could have used these monies to purchase as many as 50,000 sets of body armor to protect our soldiers."" (1, 2, 3) -By Robert O'Harrow Jr. and Scott Higham -WashingtonPost

US -Iran - Iraq - Military

"U.S. arrest of Iranians reportedly upsets Iraqi president." ... "Iraqi and Iranian authorities slammed the United States on Monday for having arrested several Iranians who were visiting Iraq." ... "A U.S. official said the Iranians were suspected of involvement in attacks against Iraqi security forces." ... "A spokesman for Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said Talabani had invited the Iranians to the country, and the president was "unhappy" about the arrests." ... "The U.S. National Security Council confirmed that the American military arrested at least four Iranians in raids during the past week in Iraq, including two diplomats." ... "NSC spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the two diplomats were questioned, turned over to the Iraqi government and released." ... "At least two others, who are members of the Iranian military, remain in U.S. military custody while an investigation is conducted on whether they were involved in attacks on security forces in Iraq, Johndroe said." -Contributions by Shirzad Bozorgmehr, Sam Dagher, Jomana Karadsheh and Suzanne Malveaux -CNN

Iran - UN - Military - Technology - Business - Politics

"Iran Is Defiant, Vowing to U.N. It Will Continue Nuclear Efforts." ... "Iran on Sunday reacted defiantly to the United Nations Security Council resolution imposing sanctions because of the country's nuclear program. Iranian officials vowed to continue efforts to enrich uranium and warned that the Security Council action would change Iran's relationship with the United Nations nuclear monitoring agency." ... "The Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday to impose sanctions on Iran banning the import and export of materials and technology used in uranium enrichment, reprocessing and ballistic missiles." ... "The Security Council on Saturday requested that Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the United Nations' nuclear monitoring agency, report to the Council within 60 days on whether Iran had complied and suspended its enrichment program." -By Nazila Fathi -NYTimes

20061224

US - Iraq - People -Police - Military - Politics

"12,000 Iraqi policemen killed since '03; 6 U.S. soldiers killed." ... "Some 12,000 Iraqi policemen have been killed since the ouster of Saddam Hussein, the country's interior minister said Sunday, as clashes, a suicide bomber and weekend explosions killed more than a dozen Iraqi officers and six American soldiers." ... "Police and police recruits have been frequent targets of insurgent attacks. In one of the worst single attacks, a suicide car bomber detonated his explosives near a line of national guard and police recruits waiting to take physicals in February 2005. The blast in Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad, killed 125." ... "Police have also been blamed for violence. Gunmen in Iraqi army and police uniforms have been responsible for recent bank robberies in Baghdad and the kidnapping of more than 40 workers and volunteers at the Iraqi Red Crescent." ... "The Iraqi Ministry of Health estimated in November that 150,000 Iraqi civilians been killed in the war that began in 2003. Other estimates put the figure as low as 51,000 or as high as 600,000." -AP via -USATODAY

20061222

Opinion - Politics

"Most outrageous comments of 2006." ... "How extreme were conservative commentators in their remarks this year? How about calls to nuke the Middle East and an allegation that a "gay ... mafia" used the congressional page program as its own "personal preserve." Right-wing rhetoric documented by Media Matters for America included the nonsensical (including Rush Limbaugh's claim that America's "obesity crisis" is caused by, among other things, our failure to "teach [the poor] how to butcher a -- slaughter a cow to get the butter, we gave them the butter"), the offensive (such as right-wing pundit Debbie Schlussel's question about "Barack Hussein Obama": is he "a man we want as President when we are fighting the war of our lives against Islam? Where will his loyalties be?"), and the simply bizarre (such as William A. Donohue's claim that some Hollywood stars would "sodomize their own mother in a movie"). Since there were so many outrageous statements, we included a list of honorable mentions along with the top 11, which, if not for Ann Coulter, we might have limited to 10." -MediaMatters.org

Noteworthy - Japan - US - World - Auto - Technology - Workers -Politics -History - Fuel

"Toyota’s Sales Projections Show It Surpassing G.M.." ... "Toyota Motor said today it plans to sell 9.34 million vehicles next year, a figure that analysts said would put it ahead of troubled General Motors as the world’s largest auto company." ... "Toyota reported global group sales this year of 8.8 million cars and trucks, below G.M.’s 2006 sales forecast of 9.2 million vehicles. But the figures released today showed the two rival car giants on starkly different trajectories, with Toyota expecting to add a half million vehicle sales next year, at a time when G.M. is shuttering plants and laying off workers." ... "Surpassing G.M. would be a crowning achievement for Toyota, a company that got its start in the 1930s by reverse-engineering G.M. and Ford cars, and that spent decades catching up with Detroit. It would also end G.M.’s 81-year reign over the global auto industry, and mark another step in the rise of Asian carmakers." ... "Analysts also said reaching the top would not exhaust Toyota’s opportunities for growth. They said Toyota will continue to gain in the American market, where higher gas prices have increased the popularity of smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles." ... "Toyota’s rise would also prove a victory of sorts for its unique corporate culture, the so-called Toyota Way, which is rooted in an obsession with craftsmanship and constant improvement, or “kaizen.”" -By Martin Fackler -NYTimes

20061221

Religious - Books - People - Virginia - Minnesota - Michigan - US Immigration - Virgil H Goode Jr

"Va. Lawmaker's Remarks on Muslims Criticized: Republican Had Decried the Use of the Koran for Congressman's Oath of Office." ... "[Virginia Republican] Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. (R-Va.) is coming under sharp criticism for lashing out against the decision by [Minnesota Democrat] Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who will become the first Muslim member of Congress next month, to use the Koran during a swearing-in ceremony." ... "In a recent letter to constituents, Goode, a five-term congressman from Rocky Mount, wrote that he does "not subscribe to using the Koran in any way" and added: "The Muslim Representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters of that district and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration, there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran."" ... "When members of Congress are sworn in, they simply raise their right hand. In a ceremony afterward, they may take the oath of office on a Christian Bible, another religious book or no book at all." ... "Ellison, who was born in Detroit [Michigan], could not be reached to comment." -By Zachary A. Goldfarb -WashingtonPost

20061211

US - Iraq - Afghanistan

"Pentagon abandons active-duty time limit." ... "Pentagon has abandoned its limit on the time a citizen-soldier can be required to serve on active duty, officials said Thursday, a major change that reflects an Army stretched thin by longer-than-expected combat in Iraq." ... "Until now, the Pentagon's policy on the Guard or Reserve was that members' cumulative time on active duty for the Iraq or Afghan wars could not exceed 24 months. That cumulative limit is now lifted; the remaining limit is on the length of any single mobilization, which may not exceed 24 consecutive months, Pace said." ... "In other words, a citizen-soldier could be mobilized for a 24-month stretch in Iraq or Afghanistan, then demobilized and allowed to return to civilian life, only to be mobilized a second time for as much as an additional 24 months." -By Robert Burns -AP via -Yahoo

US -Iraq - Military -Police - Terrorism -Religion - Intelligence - Politics - Analysis

"Intensified Combat on Streets Likely." ... "President Bush's plan to send tens of thousands of U.S. and Iraqi reinforcements to Baghdad to jointly confront Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias is likely to touch off a more dangerous phase of the war, featuring months of fighting in the streets of the Iraqi capital, current and former military officials warned." ... "The prospect of a more intense battle in the Iraqi capital could put U.S. military commanders in exactly the sort of tough urban fight that war planners strove to avoid during the spring 2003 invasion of the country. The plan to partner U.S. and Iraqi units may compel American soldiers to rely on questionable Iraqi army and police forces as never before. And while the president insisted there is no timetable associated with the troop increase, military officials said sustaining it for more than a few months would place a major new strain on U.S. forces that already are feeling burdened by an unexpectedly long and difficult war." ... "Most of all, the White House's insistence on confronting all insurgents and militias, both Sunni and Shiite, may mean that the U.S. military will wind up fighting the Mahdi Army of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. That militia is estimated by some U.S. intelligence officials to have grown over the past year to about 60,000 fighters, and some in the Pentagon consider it more militarily effective than the Iraqi army." -By Thomas E. Ricks and Ann Scott Tyson -WashingtonPost

US - Israel - Palestine - Book - Media

"Carter says criticism has led to more attention Israeli policy." ... "Former President Jimmy Carter says the criticism aimed at his latest book is a sign that its take on Israeli policy is generating more interest in the plight of the Palestinians." ... "Carter said Monday he expected the backlash against his top-selling book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid."" ... ""The premise of this country concerning what's going on in Palestine is so deeply ingrained, so deeply rooted that it's not surprising to me that any contradiction of that has aroused a strong reaction," he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview." ... "Part of the reason, he said, is that Americans often see no counterbalance to pro-Israeli viewpoints in the news media." ... ""All they really read or hear is really one-sided, where the Israeli point of view is put forward," he said. "Very rarely do you see any expression or concern of the horrible plight of the Palestinians in their own land."" -AP via -IHT.com

Food - Business - Law - GOV - Science - Consumer- Politics

"Outbreaks Reveal Food Safety Net's Holes: Produce Growers Balk At Calls for Regulation." ... "First it was spinach. Then tomatoes. Now possibly green onions." ... "Over the past three months, fresh produce has been the culprit in one episode of food-borne illness after another, the latest an E. coli outbreak that appears to be linked to green onions served at Taco Bell restaurants in the Northeast. More than 60 people have been sickened in that outbreak." ... "The patchwork of federal and state regulations that is supposed to ensure food safety has become less effective as the nation's produce supply has grown increasingly industrial. Three months after the spinach scare, there is no agreement on what should be done to reduce health risks from the nation's fruits and vegetables even as each episode of illness has heightened a sense of urgency." ... "The number of produce-related outbreaks of food-borne illness has increased from about 40 in 1999 to 86 in 2004, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Americans are now more likely to get sick from eating contaminated produce than from any other food item, the center said." (1, 2, 3) -By Annys Shin -WashingtonPost

20061209

Tom Anderson

Alaska

Texas

Prison

Money

Politician

"Anderson indicted on seven counts: Federal bribery case centers on link to prison firm lobbyist." ... "[Alaska Republican] State Rep. Tom Anderson pleaded not guilty Friday to a series of federal charges accusing him of selling his legislative office for $12,828 in bribes from a lobbyist representing private prison interests." ... "Anderson, a 39-year-old Republican who has represented Muldoon's District 19 since he was elected in 2002, was ordered freed Friday by U.S. Magistrate Judge John Roberts on an unsecured $10,000 bond after his arrest Thursday by FBI agents. Roberts said Anderson could travel to Mexico on a previously scheduled vacation next week with his wife, Republican state Rep. Lesil McGuire, who was elected to the state Senate in November, and their infant son." ... "The 18-page indictment against Anderson said the lobbyist was secretly recorded July 21, 2004, boasting that for a price, Anderson would be "our boy in Juneau [Alaska's capital]."" ... "A week later, the same lobbyist was recorded telling a confidential informant, "If I was a Soviet spy and I was looking for a legislator to recruit, (Anderson) would be the one I'd get." Anderson "needs the money," the lobbyist said." ... "The government didn't charge the lobbyist. He is identified only by the letter "A," but the facts in the case point to Bill Bobrick of Anchorage, who represented Cornell Companies [Inc. of Houston, Texas], a private prison firm Outside." -By Richard Mauer, Lisa Demer, and Tom Kizzia

-ADN.com

20061207

Gay - Parent- Dick Cheney

"A pregnant pause in right wing: Social conservatives remain silent or temper their criticism about news that Cheney's gay daughter is expecting." ... "No Republican in Washington is more beloved by social conservatives than Vice President Dick Cheney, who with his wife, Lynne, has backed and breathed every issue dear to them for six tumultuous years." ... "News that Cheney's lesbian daughter, Mary, is pregnant has therefore touched a nerve, as advocates for conservative values struggle to reconcile their loyalty to the Cheneys with their visceral opposition to same-sex relationships — and particularly to raising a child without a father." ... "The vice president's office confirmed Wednesday that Mary Cheney, 37, an executive at AOL, was expecting her first child with her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe." -By Johanna Neuman -LAtimes

20061206

Government -Legislative - Money - Military - Health - Food -Elderly - Calif

"Some Republicans Take a Scorched-Hill Tack: Leaving Budget Decisions To Democrats Could Disrupt New Leadership's Agenda." ... "Like a retreating army, Republicans are tearing up railroad track and planting legislative land mines to make it harder for Democrats to govern when they take power in Congress next month." ... "Already, the Republican leadership has moved to saddle the new Democratic majority with responsibility for resolving $463 billion in spending bills for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. And the departing chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Bill Thomas (R., Calif.), has been demanding that the Democrat-crafted 2008 budget absorb most of the $13 billion in costs incurred from a decision now to protect physician reimbursements under Medicare, the federal health-care program for the elderly and disabled." ... "The unstated goal is to disrupt the Democratic agenda and make it harder for the new majority to meet its promise to reinstitute "pay-as-you-go" budget rules, under which new costs or tax cuts must be offset to protect the deficit from growing." ... "The collapse of the appropriations process will be felt soon in the Justice and Commerce departments, food-safety agencies and veterans' health care." ... ""It's a demonstration of the irresponsibility of Republicans that they would leave this country with this mess," said the next House speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.). "But we won, we will deal with it."" -By David Rogers -WSJ.com

Global - Climate - Ocean - Animal - Food - Environment - Science - People - Business- Politics

"Some happy that a family film flaunts dire facts." ... "Michael Hirshfield has long struggled to get across his earnest but wonky message: that global warming and overfishing are killing off the oceans' food supply." ... "Then, along came the animated movie "Happy Feet" and, voila, tens of millions of youngsters -- and their parents -- across the country are suddenly aware that man-made problems are threatening the penguins near the South Pole, and almost everything else in the South Seas." ... "The blockbuster film, the top box-office hit for the past three weekends, is about emperor penguins struggling to survive with a depleted food supply, and one tap-dancing penguin's epic search to learn what is causing the colony's fish to disappear." ... "A study published recently in the journal Science predicted that if overfishing of depleted seafood populations continued at current rates, the world would run out of commercial stocks by 2048." -By John Donnelly -Boston/Globe

Gay - Dick Cheney - Law - Politics

"Groups mixed on Cheney pregnancy." ... "Conservative leaders voiced dismay Wednesday at news that Mary Cheney, the lesbian daughter of Dick Cheney, is pregnant, while a gay-rights group said the vice president faces "a lifetime of sleepless nights" for serving in an administration that has opposed recognition of same-sex couples." ... "Mary Cheney, 37, and her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, 45, are expecting a baby in late spring, said Lea Anne McBride, a spokeswoman for the vice president." ... "Family Pride, which advocates on behalf of gay and lesbian families, noted that Virginia last month became one of 27 states with a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage." ... ""Unless they move to a handful of less restrictive states, Heather will never be able to have a legal relationship with her child," said Family Pride executive director Jennifer Chrisler." -APvia -USATODAY

20061205

US - Afghanistan

"Troops needed to fight Taliban." ... "The outgoing U.S. commander in Afghanistan warned that the fight against the Taliban is in danger of being undermined by a shortage of NATO troops and by restrictions that keep some alliance forces out of combat." ... "U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry said in an interview that NATO countries need to contribute more troops and that some of them must drop "caveats" that prevent their forces from fighting freely." ... "The United States this year handed over military responsibility for all of Afghanistan to a 32,000-strong NATO force, which previously had operated in the country's relatively secure north and western regions." ... "Afghanistan is the alliance's first deployment outside Europe." -By Paul Wiseman -USATODAY

US -Iraq - Afghanistan - Government - Military- Technology - Money - Politics- People -Flying - Vehicles - Alabama

"U.S. Army Battling To Save Equipment: Gear Piles Up at Depots, Awaiting Repair." ... "Field upon field of more than 1,000 battered M1 tanks, howitzers and other armored vehicles sit amid weeds here at the 15,000-acre Anniston Army Depot [Alabama] -- the idle, hulking formations symbolic of an Army that is wearing out faster than it is being rebuilt." ... "The Army and Marine Corps have sunk more than 40 percent of their ground combat equipment into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to government data. An estimated $17 billion-plus worth of military equipment is destroyed or worn out each year, blasted by bombs, ground down by desert sand and used up to nine times the rate in times of peace. The gear is piling up at depots such as Anniston, waiting to be repaired." ... "The depletion of major equipment such as tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and especially helicopters and armored Humvees has left many military units in the United States without adequate training gear, officials say. Partly as a result of the shortages, many U.S. units are rated "unready" to deploy, officials say, raising alarm in Congress and concern among military leaders at a time when Iraq strategy is under review by the White House and the bipartisan Iraq Study Group." ... "Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the Army's chief of staff, is lobbying hard for more money to repair what he calls the "holes" in his force, saying current war funding is inadequate to make the Army "well." Asked in a congressional hearing this past summer whether he was comfortable with the readiness levels of non-deployed Army units, Schoomaker replied: "No."" ... "Despite the work piling up, the Army's depots have been operating at about half their capacity because of a lack of funding for repairs." -By Ann Scott Tyson -WashingtonPost

20061113

Richard Shelby

Corporate

Crime

Government

Law

Politics

Digital

Technology

Online

Consumer

California

Alabama

"Inside America's Richest Insurance Racket: Title insurance firms rake in $18 billion a year for a product that is outdated, largely unneeded--and protected by law." ... "Parker Kennedy's roots run deep in the California company his family founded 112 years ago. Through four generations the clan (unrelated to the Massachusetts political dynasty) has run what today is First American [Corporation], the largest title-insurance company in the nation. It collects $5.8 billion a year selling this age-old mainstay of homeownership." ... "All that cash--for an outdated product that should have been all but wiped out by digital technology." ... "Title companies appeared a century ago, helping to protect home buyers from being swindled by crooks who sold properties they didn't own. A title insurance policy protects the buyer in case the deed turns out to be defective but the seller cannot be collared to refund the purchase price. It is far less necessary in these days of computerized records, online searches and rare instances of title fraud or hidden liens." ... "Yet First American and its two main rivals--number two Fidelity National (no relation to Fidelity mutual funds) and third-ranked LandAmerica--are fat and thriving in an $18-billion-a-year business that has quadrupled in ten years." ... "First American has doubled its prices in a decade, to an average charge of $1,472 per home for a title search and insurance. Meanwhile, thanks to computerized record-keeping, the cost of searching for a home's ownership records online has fallen to as low as $25. Technology also has helped make mistakes rarer; now only $74 of each policy goes to pay claims--that is, make home buyers with defective deeds whole. That leaves a $1,373 spread for overhead and for profit." ... "Fancy this: racetracks that keep 93% of your money and return only 5% in winning tickets. They wouldn't last long, not unless they could somehow rig the rules to both forbid price competition and make the purchase of race bets mandatory. That's more or less what the title insurance industry has done to American homeowners." ... "Kennedy attributes his profits to the long housing boom and the efforts his company has made to deploy technology and move jobs offshore. "Nobody's cutting a fat hog," he says." ... "But the title industry's halcyon days owe much to antiquated state laws that thwart new competition, allow prices to soar despite declining costs and force almost every home buyer to pay for insurance that most of them will never need. In all but a handful of states, laws bar insurance giants in other fields, such as AIG or State Farm, from offering title insurance and undercutting incumbents' prices. It also is illegal for anyone to offer guarantees that provide the same protection as title insurance." ... "In 2004 the title industry stared down another threat, this one in Washington, D.C. HUD [Housing and Urban Development] had pushed for rules that would allow lenders to package title insurance with a mortgage, something federal law currently forbids. The title industry, fearing the power of banks to negotiate lower title insurance rates, was violently opposed to the rules and found a key ally in [Alabama Republican] Senator Richard Shelby, the Alabama Republican who is chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Committee--and who owns the Tuscaloosa Title Co. [Company.] (A Shelby spokesman says the senator's attitude toward HUD's proposals is unrelated to his sideline business.) HUD is now considering other options for reforming the industry." ... "Yet another movement for change comes from efforts by the nation's county recorders to agree on a uniform way to store property records online, which could severely curtail the need for title insurers. But even if they succeed, most state legislatures would have to lift a thicket of creaky old laws that have enriched the title industry for decades--and bilked home buyers out of billions of dollars." (1, 2) -By Scott Woolley

-Forbes

Note: First American Corp contributed $56,000 to Alabama Republican Senator Richard Shelby (2001-2006)

via -OpenSecrets.org

20061110

US- Government - Iraq -Military -Intelligence - Privacy - Environment - Health - Seniors - Drugs - Oil - Industry - Legal - History - Missouri

"Democrats are set to subpoena: The new majority is expected to hold hearings on military spending and the Iraq war -- just for starters." ... "[Missouri Democrat] Rep. Ike Skelton knows what he will do in one of his first acts as chairman of the Armed Services Committee in the Democratic-led House: resurrect the subcommittee on oversight and investigations." ... "The panel was disbanded by the Republicans after they won control of Congress in 1994. Now, Skelton (D-Mo.) intends to use it as a forum to probe Pentagon spending and the Bush administration's conduct of the Iraq war." ... "With control of every committee in Congress starting in January, the new majority will inherit broad powers to subpoena and investigate. And that is expected to translate into wide-ranging and contentious hearings." ... "The agenda is likely to be dominated by the Iraq war, but could include probes into the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance, environmental policies and new prescription-drug program for seniors. Industries, such as oil companies, could also come under closer scrutiny." ... ""This could be remembered as a historically unique period in which an administration got immunity from Congress to engage in errors with impunity," said Charles Tiefer, a University of Baltimore law professor and a former House counsel." ... "Democrats are expected to bore into the Iraq war, including review of no-bid contracts for reconstruction, intelligence failures and decisions to ignore the advice of military commanders about troop levels." (1, 2) -By Richard B. Schmitt and Richard Simon -LAtimes

20061109

2006 Election - Virginia -Allen -Montana - Burns

"Allen concedes defeat, sealing transfer of Senate." ... "Virginia [Republican] Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) conceded today, putting the Senate in Democratic hands for the first time since 2003 and giving the Democrats a sweep of both houses — a seismic shift in the Washington political climate." ... "Montana Republican Sen. Conrad Burns conceded earlier today in his reelection bid after his Democratic challenger, Jon Tester, claimed victory Wednesday." ... "Coupled with Allen's defeat, those Senate victories give the party a 51-49 Senate majority, counting two independents who are expected to caucus with the Democrats." -By Johanna Neuman with contributions by Janet Hook -LAtimes

US - Afghanistan -Military - People - Law -Investigation - Journalism

"AP: Startling findings in Tillman probe." ... "The latest inquiry into Tillman's death by friendly fire should end next month; authorities have said they intend to release to the public only a synopsis of their report. But The Associated Press has combed through the results of 2 1/4 years of investigations — reviewed thousands of pages of internal Army documents, interviewed dozens of people familiar with the case — and uncovered some startling findings." ... "Investigators are looking at who pulled the triggers and fired at Tillman; they are also looking at the officers who pressured the platoon to move through a region with a history of ambushes; the soldiers who burned Tillman's uniform and body armor afterward; and at everyone in the chain of command who deliberately kept the circumstances of Tillman's death from the family for more than a month." ... "Military investigators under Gimble's direction this year visited the rugged valley in eastern Afghanistan where Tillman was killed. It was a risky trip; the region is even more dangerous today than it was in 2004." -By Scott Lindlaw and Martha Mendoza -AP via -Yahoo

20061108

Noteworthy - Secret - US - Iraq - Iran - Religious - Terrorism - Military- Intelligence - History

"Gates’ CIA Past Could Haunt Him in Confirmation Hearings." ... "President Bush’s pick to replace Donald H. Rumsfeld with former CIA Director Robert Gates is an odd one, considering it’s almost certain to revive festering questions about the Bush administration’s handling of pre-war intelligence on Iraq." ... "In early 1987, his role in the so-called Iran-Contra affair, a secret White House operation to sell weapons to radical Islamic Iran in exchange for the release of U.S. hostages — and cash for CIA-backed rebels in Nicaragua — came under scrutiny." ... "Then, in during his 1991 nomination hearings to run the CIA, Gates ran into a buzz saw of testimony from a former agency analyst who said that during the 1980s Gates had skewered intelligence to fit the convictions of senior Reagan administration officials that Soviet agents had concocted a plot to assassinate the pope and were arming and encouraging Marxist revolutionary groups to carry out terrorist attacks." ... "Both theories turned out to be wrong, according Carolyn McGiffert Ekedahl, who headed a team of CIA analysts assigned the task of investigating the theory." ... "Senior former CIA analyst Mel Goodman charged Gates with a number of improprieties, including “the imposition of intelligence judgments, often over the protests of the consensus in the Directorate of Intelligence, to slant intelligence . . . suppression of intelligence that didn’t support the Casey agenda . . . (and) use of the Directorate of Operations to slant intelligence of the Directorate of Intelligence.”" -By Jeff Stein -CQ.com

2006 Election -Government - Money- Abortion - Health - Stem Cells - Science

"GOP already starts the 'blame game' over its big losses." ... "Dick Armey, former House majority leader and an architect of the Republicans' 1994 takeover of Congress, told National Public Radio's Diane Rehm that the GOP had become the big government party. "They actually grew the government," he said." ... "The Republican Majority for Choice, a lobbying group for Republicans who support abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research, blamed the losses Tuesday on Iraq and "social extremism," Co-chairwoman Jennifer Stockman said. "Moderates have been alienated for years. This was the last straw."" -By Emily Bazar -USATODAY

Election 2006 - US - Iraq - Military - Missouri -Montana - Virginia - Pennsylvania - Santorum - Rhode Island -Ohio - Indiana - Kentucky

"Democrats win House control in midterm elections; Senate still in doubt." ... "Democrats took over the House in Tuesday's midterm elections but Senate control might take weeks to decide, in an election shaped by voter discontent with President Bush and the direction of the Iraq war." ... "Democrat Claire McCaskill's victory over incumbent [Republican] Sen. Jim Talent in Missouri has put Senate control within her party's grasp. Two Senate races remained undecided early Wednesday -- Montana, where a Democratic challenger led, and Virginia, where another Democratic challenger was ahead by the slimmest of margins. Democrats must win both to seize Senate control." ... "Four incumbent Republicans lost in the Senate. Pennsylvanians voted out conservative stalwart Rick Santorum [Republican] — the No. 3 GOP leader in the Senate — in favor of Democrat Bob Casey; Rhode Island voters picked Democratic challenger Sheldon Whitehouse over incumbent Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee; Ohio voters chose Democratic Rep. Sherrod Brown over Republican incumbent Mike Dewine; and McCaskill beat Talent." ... "Democrats also won major House races in Indiana, Pennsylvania and Kentucky and the closely contested governor's race in Ohio, the AP projected. And Democrats seized a majority of the nation's governorships for the first time in 12 years." -USATODAY

20061107

US - 2006 Election - Opinion -Government -Iraq- Military

"Corruption named as key issue by voters in exit polls." ... "By a wide margin, Americans who voted Tuesday in the midterm election say they disapprove of the war in Iraq." ... "But when asked which issue was extremely important to their vote, more voters said corruption and ethics in government than any other issue, including the war, according to national exit polls." ... "And defying the traditional political maxim that "all politics is local," 62 percent of voters said national issues mattered more than local issues when deciding which House candidate to pick." -CNN

Virginia - 2006 Election - Politics -Law

"FBI looking into possible Va. voter intimidation: Officials probing reports of phone calls allegedly intended to confuse voters." ... "The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into the possibility of voter intimidation in the hard-fought U.S. Senate race between Sen. George Allen, a Republican, and Democratic challenger James Webb, officials told NBC News." ... "State officials alerted the Justice Department on Tuesday to several complaints of suspicious phone calls to voters who attempted to misdirect or confuse them about election day, Jean Jensen, Secretary of the Virginia State Board of Elections, told NBC's David Shuster." ... "Jensen told NBC that she had been contacted by FBI agents. The FBI in Richmond refused to comment." ... "State Democratic Party counsel Jay Myerson said in a written statement issued by the Webb campaign that he believed Republicans are behind an orchestrated effort to suppress votes for the Democratic challenger." -MSNBC

2006 Election - Money - Phone - Law

"It's a Candidate Calling. Again." ... "Republicans Deny Subterfuge as Phone Barrages Anger Voters." ... "This year's heavy volume of automated political phone calls has infuriated countless voters and triggered sharp complaints from Democrats, who say the Republican Party has crossed the line in bombarding households with recorded attacks on candidates in tight House races nationwide." ... "Some voters, sick of interrupted dinners and evenings, say they will punish the offending parties by opposing them in today's [2006] elections. But critics say Republicans crafted the messages to delude voters --especially those who hang up quickly -- into thinking that Democrats placed the calls." ... "Democrats cited federal records indicating that the NRCC recently spent about $600,000 in at least 45 contested House districts for robo-calls, which are among the least expensive campaign tools." ... "Many voters hang up as soon as a robo-call begins -- without waiting for the criticisms or the NRCC sign-off at the end -- so they think it was placed by the Democratic candidate named at the start, said Sarah Feinberg, spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee." ... "Democrats also cited Federal Communications Commission guidelines saying the originators of automated calls must identify themselves at the beginning of each call. Republican Party lawyers, however, said the requirement does not apply to political nonprofit organizations. They rebuffed a "cease and desist" letter sent yesterday by the DCCC." (1, 2) -By Charles Babington and Alec MacGillis with contributions by Jonathan Weisman, Dale Russakoff, and Michael Powell -WashingtonPost

Voting Machine Problems -Indiana - Illinois - Ohio - Florida -Utah - Kentucky - 2006 Election - Politics

"Voting machine problems bedevil multiple states." ... "As both parties revved up their massive get-out-the-vote operations across the nation, programming errors and inexperience dealing with electronic voting machines caused some early problems:" ... "• Election officials in Delaware County, Ind., planned to seek a court order to extend voting after an apparent computer error prevented voters from casting ballots in 75 precincts. Delaware County Clerk Karen Wenger said the cards that activate the machines were programmed incorrectly. "We are working with precincts one-by-one over the telephone to get the problem fixed," Wenger said." ... "• Illinois officials were swamped with calls from voters complaining that poll workers did not know how to operate new electronic equipment[.]" ... "• In Ohio, some machines wouldn't function."We got five machines — one of them's got to work," said Willette Scullank, a troubleshooter from the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, elections board." ... "• In Florida, voting was briefly delayed at four districts because of either mixed up ballots or electronic activators being unintentionally wiped out, according to Mary Cooney, spokeswoman for the Broward County Supervisor of Elections. Voters were forced to use paper ballots after an electronic machine broke in the Jacksonville suburb of Orange Park." ... "• In Utah County, Utah, workers failed to properly encode some of the cards that voters use to bring up touchscreen ballots." ... "• In Kentucky, a school board race was inadvertently left off the touchscreen ballot in two precincts in Bourbon County, requiring the county clerk to make paper ballots on the spot. " -By Douglas Stanglin with contributions by Bill Nichols, Kathy Kiely, and David Jackson -AP via -USATODAY

20061103

Secret - US - Iraq- Nuclear - Government - Military - Intelligence -Internet - Archive - History - Hoekstra - Michigan - Roberts -Kansas - Legislation - Politics

"U.S. Web Archive Is Said to Reveal a Nuclear Primer." ... "Last March, the federal government set up a Web site to make public a vast archive of Iraqi documents captured during the war. The Bush administration did so under pressure from Congressional Republicans who had said they hoped to “leverage the Internet” to find new evidence of the prewar dangers posed by Saddam Hussein." ... "But in recent weeks, the site has posted some documents that weapons experts say are a danger themselves: detailed accounts of Iraq’s secret nuclear research before the 1991 Persian Gulf war. The documents, the experts say, constitute a basic guide to building an atom bomb." ... "Last night, the government shut down the Web site after The New York Times asked about complaints from weapons experts and arms-control officials. A spokesman for the director of national intelligence said access to the site had been suspended “pending a review to ensure its content is appropriate for public viewing.”" ... "Officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency, fearing that the information could help states like Iran develop nuclear arms, had privately protested last week to the American ambassador to the agency, according to European diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the issue’s sensitivity. One diplomat said the agency’s technical experts “were shocked” at the public disclosures." ... "The documents, roughly a dozen in number, contain charts, diagrams, equations and lengthy narratives about bomb building that nuclear experts who have viewed them say go beyond what is available elsewhere on the Internet and in other public forums. For instance, the papers give detailed information on how to build nuclear firing circuits and triggering explosives, as well as the radioactive cores of atom bombs." ... "The director of national intelligence, John D. Negroponte, had resisted setting up the Web site, which some intelligence officials felt implicitly raised questions about the competence and judgment of government analysts. But President Bush approved the site’s creation after Congressional Republicans proposed legislation to force the documents’ release." ... "The campaign for the Web site was led by the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Peter Hoekstra [Republican] of Michigan. Last November, he and his Senate counterpart, Pat Roberts [Republican] of Kansas, wrote to Mr. Negroponte, asking him to post the Iraqi material." (1, 2, 3) -By William J. Broad with contributions by Scott Shane -NYTimes

20061101

Secret - US - Iraq - Religious - Police - Politics- Intelligence

"Military Charts Movement of Conflict in Iraq Toward Chaos." ... "A classified briefing prepared two weeks ago by the United States Central Command portrays Iraq as edging toward chaos, in a chart that the military is using as a barometer of civil conflict." ... "A one-page slide shown at the Oct. 18 briefing provides a rare glimpse into how the military command that oversees the war is trying to track its trajectory, particularly in terms of sectarian fighting." ... "The slide includes a color-coded bar chart that is used to illustrate an “Index of Civil Conflict.” It shows a sharp escalation in sectarian violence since the bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra in February, and tracks a further worsening this month despite a concerted American push to tamp down the violence in Baghdad." ... "In fashioning the index, the military is weighing factors like the ineffectual Iraqi police and the dwindling influence of moderate religious and political figures, rather than more traditional military measures such as the enemy’s fighting strength and the control of territory." ... "The conclusions the Central Command has drawn from these trends are not encouraging, according to a copy of the slide that was obtained by The New York Times. The slide shows Iraq as moving sharply away from “peace,” an ideal on the far left side of the chart, to a point much closer to the right side of the spectrum, a red zone marked “chaos.” As depicted in the command’s chart, the needle has been moving steadily toward the far right of the chart." ... "An intelligence summary at the bottom of the slide reads “urban areas experiencing ‘ethnic cleansing’ campaigns to consolidate control” and “violence at all-time high, spreading geographically.” According to a Central Command official, the index on civil strife has been a staple of internal command briefings for most of this year. The analysis was prepared by the command’s intelligence directorate, which is overseen by Brig. Gen. John M. Custer." -By Michael R. Gordon -NYTimes

20061031

John E Sweeney

Politician

New York

Law

"Congressman's wife called police: Sweeney campaign says the document concerning a domestic incident is ``false and concocted''." ... "The wife of U.S. [United States New York Republican Representative] Rep. John Sweeney called police last December to complain her husband was ``knocking her around'' during a late-night argument at the couple's home, according to a document obtained last week by the Times Union." ... "The emergency call to a police dispatcher triggered a visit to the couple's residence by a state trooper from Clifton Park [New York], who filed a domestic incident report after noting that the congressman had scratches on his face, the document states. No criminal charges were filed." ... "Gaia M. Sweeney, 36, told a trooper that her husband had grabbed her by the neck and was pushing her around the house, according to the document." ... "Sweeney campaign aide Maureen Donovan issued a statement late Tuesday attacking the authenticity of the document, labeling it ``a piece of campaign propaganda.'' The six-line statement does not address whether police were called to the residence for a domestic dispute that evening." ... "The Times Union confirmed several months ago, through multiple law enforcement sources, that State Police had responded to the Sweeney residence in early December to investigate a domestic dispute. The sources confirmed that Sweeney had scratches on his face when a trooper arrived, but they provided no additional information about the incident." ... "The alleged incident at the couple's home off Kinns Road took place at the end of a tumultuous year for Sweeney. Less than two weeks earlier, his son, John J. Sweeney, then 19, pleaded guilty to felony assault charges for his role in a fight that left another young man with skull factures and blurred vision. The younger Sweeney initially faced the prospect of spending up to 15 years in prison, but a plea deal gave him youthful offender status and a sentence that included four months of weekends in jail and community service." (1, 2, 3, 4) -By Brendan J. Lyons

-TimesUnion.com

US - Iraq - Afghanistan - Military - Families

"Army: 7 Families Misled On War Deaths: Review Finds Soldiers' Families Given Incorrect Information On Their Deaths." ... "The families of seven soldiers who died in Iraq or Afghanistan were given incorrect or misleading information about the deaths, the Army has concluded after a review of war casualty reports." ... "The best-known was Cpl. Patrick Tillman, the former star player in the National Football League whose family initially was told he had died a hero's death, killed by enemy forces in Afghanistan. After Tillman's memorial service the family was told the truth: He was killed unintentionally by gunfire from his fellow soldiers." ... "More than 1,800 Army soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began in March 2003; about 240 have died in Afghanistan. Overall, more than 2,800 U.S. military members have died since the start of the Iraq war." -AP via

-CBSNews

US - Italy - Weldon - Government - Military -Money - Pennsylvania

"Italian Arms Contractor and a Pennsylvania Congressman Share Close Ties." ... "In November at the five-star Hotel Splendido overlooking the harbor in Portofino, a playground of the Italian rich, [Pennsylvania Republican] Representative Curt Weldon was the center of attention." ... "The second-ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, Mr. Weldon was a main speaker at a conference sponsored in part by the Italian military giant Finmeccanica. At the gathering of Italian, British and American political leaders, Mr. Weldon, of Pennsylvania, spoke on behalf of Italian arms makers who were seeking a bigger share of Pentagon contracts." ... "Taxpayers paid for Mr. Weldon’s stay. He received a $1,153 daily expense allowance from the federal government and flew over on a military jet." ... "For Mr. Weldon, the conference was a victory lap. After several years of promoting Italian military contractors, the Italians had scored some big victories at the Pentagon. But Mr. Weldon’s efforts were equally beneficial for his district, his family, his friends and his campaign coffers." ... "His daughter Kim, 29, a former social worker, was hired by AgustaWestland, the Finmeccanica subsidiary that won the Marine One contract, shortly after her father’s speech in Portofino. Kim Weldon’s work is to set up booths at trade shows and perform public relations." ... "More than 10 Americans at Finmeccanica subsidiaries in the United States, along with their spouses, were among the biggest contributors to Mr. Weldon’s campaign in 2006. Their combined donations of $20,400 edged out donations from American giants like Boeing and Lockheed Martin." -By Leslie Wayne with contributions by David Johnston -NYTimes

20061105

Ted Haggard -

Gay -

Drug -

Politics -

Colorado

"Disgraced Haggard: I am a "deceiver and a liar." ... "In a letter of apology read to the congregation of [Colorado's] New Life Church Sunday morning, Ted Haggard confessed to sexual immorality and described himself as "a deceiver and a liar."" ... ""There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life," Haggard wrote." ... "Describing a lifelong battle against temptations that were contrary to his teachings, Haggard said he had sought assistance "in a variety of ways," and while he had stretches of "freedom," nothing proved effective." ... "Haggard was fired as senior pastor of the church on Saturday by an oversight board of pastors that concluded Haggard committed "sexually immoral conduct." The board had investigated claims by a male prostitute who said publicly this week that Haggard paid him for sex and took methamphetamine over a three-year period." -By Eric Gorski

-DenverPost.com

20061104

Ted Haggard -

Gay -

Drug -

Politics -

Colorado -

Law

"Haggard fired for "sexually immoral conduct"." ... "Ted Haggard, the beleaguered pastor of a Colorado Springs [Colorado] evangelical church who had denied having sex with a male prostitute, has been fired by an oversight board, which found him guilty of "sexually immoral conduct."" ... "The findings stand in stark contrast to the immensely popular public image of the New Life Church's founding pastor. A rising star, Haggard, 50, was at times a consultant to the White House, the author of several books, and until he stepped down this week, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, which represents more than 30 million worshippers." ... "The board that made the decision, called the "Overseer Board of New Life Church," said in a prepared statement Saturday afternoon: "Our investigation and Pastor Haggard's public statements have proven without a doubt that he has committed sexually immoral conduct."" ... "Mike Jones, 49, of Denver [Colorado], had come forward Wednesday and said Haggard had had a paid sexual relationship with him monthly for three years. Jones also said Haggard used crystal meth." ... "And though he said he didn't want to ruin Haggard's life, there was too much at stake in keeping silent. Haggard is a vocal support of Amendment 43, which would define marriage in Colorado as being strictly between a man and a woman." -By Chuck Plunkett with contributions by Kirk Mitchell

-DenverPost.com

20061103

Ney -

Abramoff -

Money -

Politics -

Ohio

"Ney Says He’ll Resign From House." ... "Rep. Bob Ney, facing certain expulsion from the House after being convicted of two felonies in relation to the Jack Abramoff scandal, said on Friday he will resign by the end of the day." ... "Ney’s corruption case was detailed in Justice Department documents released in September, and they revealed a five-year association with Abramoff that included taking trips to Scotland, luxury sports suite tickets and gambling chips from a foreign businessman." ... "In return for these favors, Ney tried to give Abramoff clients favorable treatment." ... "In the plea document, Ney says he accepted free trips, including a $160,000 excursion to play golf in Scotland in 2002; a $7,200 gambling vacation in New Orleans in 2003; and a $3,500 vacation in Lake George, N.Y., that same year, with lobbyists picking up the tab in each case." ... "Ney also accepted thousands in gambling chips at a British casino. He had a staffer carry $5,000 in cash through U.S. Customs so he wouldn’t have to report tens of thousands in winnings from the casino." -By Martin Kady II

-CQ.com

Gay -

Military -

Entertainment -

Money -

Law

"RNC Accepts Money From Army Porn Movie Distributor." ... "Despite running an attack ad accusing a Democratic senatorial candidate of accepting money from "porn movie producers," the Republican National Committee itself has accepted several donations over the past few years from the president of a large pornographic movie distribution company." ... "Marina Pacific Distributors calls itself "the leader in adult video distribution." Included in the movies for sale on their Web site are videos made by "Active Duty Productions." Active Duty, as their name suggests, has cast active duty soldiers in some of their films but not without serious consequences for the soldiers." ... "Three Fort Bragg soldiers were found guilty and sentenced to prison in separate courts-martial earlier this year for appearing in pornographic videos made by Active Duty." -By Maddy Sauer

-ABCNEWS.com

Ted Haggard -

Drugs -

Gay -

Colorado -

Politics

"Powerful pastor's drug purchases shocks evangelicals." ... "The Rev. Ted Haggard, who has resigned as one of the nation's top evangelical leaders, admitted Friday he had contacted a male prostitute for a massage and bought methamphetamine." ... "Haggard also acknowledged contacting Mike Jones but has denied Jones' accusation that the two men regularly had sex over three years." ... "The admissions -- after Haggard's earlier denials that he even knew Jones -- resonated among America's evangelicals and Christian leaders." ... "Haggard resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals, an umbrella group representing more than 45,000 churches with 30 million members." ... "He also temporarily stepped aside Thursday as senior pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs [Colorado], pending an internal investigation into Jones' allegations." ... "Haggard was one of a group of religious leaders who regularly participated in conference calls with White House aides, Time magazine reported." -Contributed to by Delia Gallagher

-CNN

Ted Haggard -

Drugs -

Religious -

Gay -

Colorado

"Christian Leader Admits to Buying Drugs." ... "The Rev. Ted Haggard, the former president of the National Association of Evangelicals and one of the nation’s most influential Christian leaders, admitted today that he had purchased the illegal drug methamphetamine from a gay escort in Denver [Colorado], but denied that he ever had sex with the man." ... "Ted Haggard, the former president of the U.S. National Association of Evangelicals, resigned on Thursday after being accused of having a sexual relationship with a male escort." ... "Mr. Haggart resigned as president of the evangelical association and stepped aside as senior pastor of the New Life mega-church in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday after Michael Forest Jones, a self-described former gay prostitute, accused him of having a sexual affair for three years and using the drug, commonly known as crystal meth, during those encounters."

-NYTimes

Ted Haggard

Drugs

Gay

Religious

"Evangelist Admits Meth, Massage, No Sex: National Evangelical Leader, Gay Marriage Opponent, Admits to Meth and Massage but Not Gay Sex." ... "Evangelist Ted Haggard admitted Friday that he bought methamphetamine and received a massage from a gay prostitute who claims he was paid for drug-fueled trysts by the outspoken gay marriage opponent." ... "Talking to reporters outside his house Friday, Haggard denied the sex allegations but said that he did buy meth from the man because he was curious." ... "Haggard was appointed president of the evangelicals association in March 2003. He has participated in conservative Christian leaders' conference calls with White House staffers and lobbied members of Congress last year on U.S. Supreme Court appointees after Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement." (1, 2, 3) -By Catherine Tsai with contributions by Dan Elliott

-AP via -ABCNEWS.com

20061102

Noteworthy -

US -

Iraq -

Military -

Intelligence -

Politics -

History

"Bush owes troops an apology, not Kerry: Olbermann: Bush 'appearing to be stupid' about Kerry's joke." ... "A brief reminder, Mr. Bush: You are not the United States of America." ... "You are merely a politician whose entire legacy will have been a willingness to make anything political; to have, in this case, refused to acknowledge that the insult wasn't about the troops, and that the insult was not even truly about you either, that the insult, in fact, is you." ... "So now John Kerry has apologized to the troops; apologized for the Republicans' deliberate distortions." ... "Thus, the president will now begin the apologies he owes our troops, right?" ... "This president must apologize to the troops for having suggested, six weeks ago, that the chaos in Iraq, the death and the carnage, the slaughtered Iraqi civilians and the dead American service personnel, will, to history, "look like just a comma."" ... "This president must apologize to the troops because the intelligence he claims led us into Iraq proved to be undeniably and irredeemably wrong." ... "This president must apologize to the troops for having laughed about the failure of that intelligence at a banquet while our troops were in harm's way." ... "This president must apologize to the troops because the streets of Iraq were not strewn with flowers and its residents did not greet them as liberators." ... "This president must apologize to the troops because his administration ran out of "plan" after barely two months." ... "This president must apologize to the troops for getting 2,815 of them killed." (1, 2, 3, 4) -By Keith Olbermann

-MSNBC

Sherwood -

Secret -

Money -

Politics -

Pennsylvania -

Election 2006

"Rep. paying ex-mistress about $500K." ... "A Republican congressman [Don Sherwood of Pennsylvania] accused of abusing his ex-mistress agreed to pay her about $500,000 in a settlement last year that contained a powerful incentive for her to keep quiet until after Election Day, a person familiar with the terms of the deal told The Associated Press." ... "The settlement, reached in November 2005, called for Cynthia Ore to be paid in installments, according to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal is confidential. She has received less than half the money so far, and will not get the rest until after the Nov. 7 election [2006], the person said Thursday." ... "A confidentiality clause requires Ore to forfeit some of the money if she talks publicly about the case, according to this person and two other people familiar with elements of the case." -By Michael Rubinkam

-AP via -Yahoo

Foley -

Ohio -

Florida -

NM -

NY -

Police -

Election 2006

"Scandals Alone Could Cost Republicans Their House Majority." ... "Indictments, investigations and allegations of wrongdoing have helped put at least 15 Republican House seats in jeopardy, enough to swing control to the Democrats on Tuesday even before the larger issues of war, economic unease and President Bush are invoked." ... "Democrats have repeatedly hit [Republican] Rep. Deborah Pryce (Ohio), the House Republican Conference chairman, for inaction on the [Florida Republican Mark] Foley matter. And Democrats have tried to hold two former members of the Page Board, [New York Republican] Reps. Sue W. Kelly (N.Y.) and [New Mexico Republican] Heather A. Wilson (N.M.), accountable for Foley's actions." ... "Meanwhile, new allegations continue to spring up. Vern Buchanan, a Republican running for the Florida seat vacated by Rep. Katherine Harris (R), was the target of local media reports this week detailing his use of business entities in Caribbean tax havens to reduce levies on his auto dealerships. The Albany Times Union published an article yesterday charging that the wife of [New York Republican] Rep. John E. Sweeney (R-N.Y.) called police late last year to report that her husband was "knocking her around" during a late-night argument." -By Jonathan Weisman and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum

-WashingtonPost

20061101

Ted Haggard -

Gay -

Colorado

"Haggard steps down amid gay affair inquiry." ... "Ted Haggard, one of the most prominent evangelical pastors in the nation, resigned today as president of the National Association of Evangelicals amid allegations that he carried on a three-year sexual relationship with a male prostitute." ... "Haggard, founder of the 14,000-member New Life Church, has denied the accusations but said in a statement released by the church today that he could "not continue to minister under the cloud created by accusations made on Denver talk radio this morning."" ... "He has placed himself on administrative leave pending investigation, spiritual counsel and a decision by the church's board of overseers, the church's legal counsel said. Haggard founded the church in 1985." -By Eric Gorski, Felisa Cardona, and Manny Gonzales

-DenverPost.com

20061031

John E Sweeney

Politician

New York

Law

-TimesUnion.com

US -

Iraq -

Afghanistan -

Military -

Government -

Media -

Terrorism -

Politics

"Statement of John Kerry Responding to Republican Distortions, Pathetic Tony Snow Diversions and Distractions." ... "Senator John Kerry issued the following statement in response to White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, assorted right wing nut-jobs, and right wing talk show hosts desperately distorting Kerry’s comments about President Bush to divert attention from their disastrous record:" ... "“If anyone thinks a veteran would criticize the more than 140,000 heroes serving in Iraq and not the president who got us stuck there, they're crazy. This is the classic G.O.P. playbook. I’m sick and tired of these despicable Republican attacks that always seem to come from those who never can be found to serve in war, but love to attack those who did." ... "I’m not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium, or doughy Rush Limbaugh, who no doubt today will take a break from belittling Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s disease to start lying about me just as they have lied about Iraq. It disgusts me that these Republican hacks, who have never worn the uniform of our country lie and distort so blatantly and carelessly about those who have." ... "The people who owe our troops an apology are George W. Bush and Dick Cheney who misled America into war and have given us a Katrina foreign policy that has betrayed our ideals, killed and maimed our soldiers, and widened the terrorist threat instead of defeating it. These Republicans are afraid to debate veterans who live and breathe the concerns of our troops, not the empty slogans of an Administration that sent our brave troops to war without body armor." ... "Bottom line, these Republicans want to debate straw men because they’re afraid to debate real men. And this time it won’t work because we’re going to stay in their face with the truth and deny them even a sliver of light for their distortions. No Democrat will be bullied by an administration that has a cut and run policy in Afghanistan and a stand still and lose strategy in Iraq.”"

JohnKerry.com

George Allen

Virginia

"Senator's Supporters Push, Tackle Protester: Video Shows Man Knocked To Ground." ... "A protester who shouted questions at Virginia Sen. George Allen was pushed to the floor during Allen's campaign appearance Tuesday at a Charlottesville hotel." ... "CNN showed video of the confrontation. The video showed the protester trying to get Allen's attention and asking the Republican incumbent about his first wife. "Why did you spit at your first wife, George?" the man asked." ... "Allen declined to answer the question." ... "On the video, three men, all wearing blue Allen lapel stickers, immediately grabbed the man, dragged him backward and slung him to the carpet outside a hotel meeting room. The video showed one man tackle him." ... "The man who tackled the protester said, "Now you're getting personal." The protester answered by saying he hadn't touched anybody." ... "WVIR reported that afterward, a reporter asked Allen what he thought of the incident and Allen said, "Stuff like that happens.""

-AP -Click2Houston.com

George Allen -

Virginia -

Military

"Breaking: [Virginia Republican George Allen] Republican's Staff Assault Marine Vet [VIDEO]."

-AlterNet.org

Energy -

Money -

Politics -

Accounting -

"U.S. Drops Bid Over Royalties From Chevron." ... "The Interior Department has dropped claims that the Chevron Corporation systematically underpaid the government for natural gas produced in the Gulf of Mexico, a decision that could allow energy companies to avoid paying hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties." ... "The agency had ordered Chevron to pay $6 million in additional royalties but could have sought tens of millions more had it prevailed. The decision also sets a precedent that could make it easier for oil and gas companies to lower the value of what they pump each year from federal property and thus their payments to the government." ... "The reversal in the case, which involves Chevron’s accounting of natural gas sales to a company it partly owned, has renewed criticism that the Bush administration is reluctant to confront oil and gas companies and is lax in collecting royalties." ... "In return for the right to drill on federal lands and in federal waters, energy companies are required to pay the government a share of their proceeds. " ... "Administration officials knew that dozens of companies had incorrectly claimed exemptions from royalties since 2003, but they waited until December 2005 to send letters demanding about $500 million in repayments." ... "In February, the Interior Department acknowledged that oil companies could escape more than $7 billion in payments because of mistakes in leases signed in the 1990s." ... "In addition, four government auditors last month publicly accused the Interior Department of blocking their efforts to recover more than $30 million from the Shell Oil Corporation, the Kerr-McGee Corporation and other major companies." ... "“This latest revelation proves that the Bush administration is incapable of preventing big oil companies from cheating taxpayers,” said Representative Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts, a senior Democrat on the House Committee on Resources. “The public has been systematically fleeced out of royalties that these companies owe for the privilege of drilling for oil and gas on lands belonging to all of us.”" (1, 2) -By Edmund L. Andrews

-NYTimes

20061030

Ken Calvert

Gay

Government

Transportation

Real Estate

Money

Law

California

"Running for Their Lives." ... "Ken Calvert, a Republican representative from California, was caught in a car with a prostitute during his first term but, after putting out campaign literature implying that his Democratic opponent was gay, held on to his seat. Last year Calvert and a business partner bought a four-acre parcel of land in Riverside County for $550,000; after securing federal funds for the expansion of a nearby freeway interchange, along with federal money to support commercial development in the area, they sold the property for nearly $1 million. But Democrats say they are not running a serious challenger against Calvert, because the seat leans strongly Republican." -By Juliet Eilperin

-TheAtlantic.com

20061026

Money

Consumer

History

"Exxon Mobile posts $10.49B profit." ... "Oil industry behemoth Exxon Mobil Corp. said Thursday its third-quarter earnings rose to $10.49 billion, the second-largest quarterly profit ever recorded by a publicly traded U.S. company." ... "The report comes as high crude prices this year have fueled record profits in the oil industry, triggering an outcry from consumers who were being asked to pay about $3 a gallon for gasoline in early August." ... "The largest quarterly profit ever was Exxon Mobil's $10.71 billion profit in the fourth quarter of 2005." ... "They may beat that next quarter, said Howard Silverblatt Standard & Poor's Senior Index Analyst. "Then in all likelihood they will be at that $40 billion mark for the year." That would put the company on track for the highest annual profit ever by a U.S. company. Exxon Mobil holds that record with a 2005 profit of $36.1 billion." -By Steve Quinn

-AP via -DenverPost.com

Trandahl -

Kolbe -

Foley -

Arizona -

Florida

"Trandahl Names Kolbe as a 'Problem' With Page Program, Source Says." ... "A source close to former House Clerk Jeff Trandahl told ABC News that Arizona [Republican] Congressman Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) was one of a small number of "problem members" of Congress who page program supervisors complained spent too much time socializing with pages, taking them to dinner or sporting events outside of official duties." ... "[Florida Republican] Mark Foley was also on the list." ... "The source said Trandahl frequently cautioned both congressmen that "adults should hang out with adults, pages should hang out with pages," a message Trandahl also conveyed to pages during their orientation." -By Rhonda Schwartz and John Yang

-ABCNEWS.com

20061025

Renzi

Arizona

Legislation

Politics

International

Money

Family

Military

Communications

Virginia

"Congressman From Arizona Is the Focus of an Inquiry." ... "Federal authorities in Arizona have opened an inquiry into whether [Arizona Republican] Representative Rick Renzi introduced legislation that benefited a military contractor that employs his father, law enforcement officials said Tuesday." ... "Mr. Renzi, 48, a Republican who represents the First Congressional District, is a former insurance executive and real estate investor who was first elected in 2002. Almost from the start, he has been a target of citizen watchdog groups who have accused him of ethical laxity in office." ... "Law enforcement officials said that the most serious accusation involved Mr. Renzi’s sponsorship of legislation in 2003 that appeared to indirectly benefit the ManTech International Corporation, a communications company based in Virginia that employs Mr. Renzi’s father, Eugene, a retired Army general, as executive vice president." -By David Johnston

-NYTimes

Renzi

Phoenix

Arizona

Real Estate

Money

Politics

Law Enforcement

"Lawmaker's Influence in Land Deals Probed." ... "U.S. prosecutors in Arizona have opened a preliminary investigation into whether [Republican] Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) twice pressured landowners to buy a 480-acre parcel owned by his former business partner, a major backer of Renzi's political campaign, according to federal law enforcement sources." ... "The deal ultimately netted the business partner a $3 million profit, according to Arizona land records." ... "The Arizona transaction has drawn the interest of the U.S. attorney's office and the FBI's Phoenix field office. Three law enforcement officials said both are investigating Renzi's involvement in two land deals -- one of which was not completed -- designed to put the 480 acres under federal protection from development in exchange for land more fit for commercial development." ... "According to sources, the investigation is focusing on whether, in exchange for political contributions and business support, James Sandlin received special treatment from Renzi for a parcel of land that earned him a $3 million profit." ... "Sandlin bought into Renzi's real estate firm in 2001, then paid about $200,000 for half the business and, after he was elected to Congress, $1 million to $5 million for the rest." ... "Investigators want to know whether Renzi twice attempted to arrange deals for Sandlin, including once by proposing legislation, two sources with knowledge of the investigations said." -By Jonathan Weisman and Dan Eggen

-WashingtonPost

Hastert -

Foley -

Reynolds -

Boehner -

Illinois -

Florida -

New York -

Ohio

"Hastert testifies in sex scandal investigation: Presses panel to move quickly." ... "Speaker J. Dennis Hastert [Illinois Republican] yesterday became the first leader of the House of Representatives in a decade to testify before its ethics committee, fielding hours of questions about what he knew about former [Florida Republican] representative Mark Foley's inappropriate approaches to teenage pages and when he knew it." ... "At least two Republican leaders -- Representative Thomas M. Reynolds of New York, who is leading the party's House reelection effort, and House majority leader John Boehner of Ohio -- have said they told Hastert last year that they were concerned about Foley's behavior after they learned about "overly friendly" e-mails that Foley, a Florida Republican, sent to one former male page." ... "Hastert has said he does not recall those conversations, but he does not dispute that he may have forgotten them." -By Maura Reynolds

-LAtimes via -BostonGlobe

20061024

Virginia -

Electronic -

Voting Machines -

Election 2006

"Some Voting Machines Chop Off Candidates' Names: Computer Glitch Affects Voters in 3 Jurisdictions; Error Cannot Be Fixed by Nov. 7 [2006 election]." ... "U.S. Senate candidate James Webb's last name has been cut off on part of the electronic ballot used by voters in [the Virginia state cities of] Alexandria, Falls Church and Charlottesville because of a computer glitch that also affects other candidates with long names, city officials said yesterday." ... "The error shows up only on the summary page, where voters are asked to review their selections before hitting the button to cast their votes. Webb's full name appears on the page where voters choose for whom to vote." ... "Thus, Democratic candidate Webb will appear with his first name and nickname only -- or "James H. 'Jim' " -- on summary pages in Alexandria, Falls Church and Charlottesville, the only jurisdictions in Virginia that use balloting machines manufactured by Hart InterCivic of Austin." -By Leef Smith

-WashingtonPost

Noteworthy -

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Guantanamo Bay -

Cuba -

Military -

Intelligence -

Torture -

Terrorism -

Prison -

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People -

War Crimes -

Law Enforcement -

Politics

"Can the '20th hijacker' of Sept. 11 stand trial? Aggressive interrogation at Guantanamo may prevent his prosecution." ... "Mohammed al-Qahtani, detainee No. 063, was forced to wear a bra. He had a thong placed on his head. He was massaged by a female interrogator who straddled him like a lap dancer. He was told that his mother and sisters were whores. He was told that other detainees knew he was gay. He was forced to dance with a male interrogator. He was strip-searched in front of women. He was led on a leash and forced to perform dog tricks. He was doused with water. He was prevented from praying. He was forced to watch as an interrogator squatted over his Koran." ... "That much is known. These details were among the findings of the U.S. Army's investigation of al-Qahtani's aggressive interrogation at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba." ... "But only now is a picture emerging of how the interrogation policy developed, and the battle that law enforcement agents waged, inside Guantanamo and in the offices of the Pentagon, against harsh treatment of al-Qahtani and other detainees by military intelligence interrogators." ... "In interviews with MSNBC.com - the first time they have spoken publicly -former senior law enforcement agents described their attempts to stop the abusive interrogations. The agents of the Pentagon's Criminal Investigation Task Force, working to build legal cases against suspected terrorists, said they objected to coercive tactics used by a separate team of intelligence interrogators soon after Guantanamo's prison camp opened in early 2002. They ultimately carried their battle up to the office of Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, who approved the more aggressive techniques to be used on al-Qahtani and others." ... "Although they believed the abusive techniques were probably illegal, the Pentagon cops said their objection was practical. They argued that abusive interrogations were not likely to produce truthful information, either for preventing more al-Qaida attacks or prosecuting terrorists." ... "And they described their disappointment when military prosecutors told them not to worry about making a criminal case against al-Qahtani, the suspected "20th hijacker" of Sept. 11, because what had been done to him would prevent him from ever being put on trial." ... "Defense Department e-mails seen by MSNBC.com show that a delegation visiting Guantanamo on Sept. 25, 2002, included Alberto R. Gonzales, then the White House counsel and now attorney general; David S. Addington, legal counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney, now his chief of staff; Timothy E. Flanigan, the deputy White House counsel; William Haynes III, the Pentagon general counsel; Larry Thompson, then deputy attorney general; Christopher A. Wray, the principal associate deputy attorney general, now head of Criminal Division at the Justice Department; and John Yoo, a lawyer in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, who reportedly had just helped write an Aug. 1, 2002, "torture memo" to Gonzales, defining torture narrowly as causing pain equivalent to organ failure or death." ... "The visiting VIPs met with Gen. Dunlavey and his staff, but not with any of the law enforcement investigators who opposed the aggressive interrogations." ... "Under the Military Commissions Act signed last week by President Bush, statements made under torture would not be admissible in a military trial." ... "But the law says a military judge could accept statements made under coercion. A court may have to decide which category, torture or coercion, encompasses such techniques as a fake trip to Egypt, sleep deprivation, and being forced to do dog tricks. The new law also extends legal protection from prosecution for war crimes to any U.S. personnel who used coercive tactics, if they believed in good faith that what they were doing was lawful." (1, 2, 3, 4) -By Bill Dedman

-MSNBC

Hastert -

Foley -

Fordham-

Palmer -

Kolbe -

Alexander -

Boehner -

Reynolds -

Shimkus -

Trandahl -

Florida -

Illinois -

Arizona -

Louisiana -

Ohio -

New York

"House panel questions Hastert's top aide in Foley case." ... "Kirk Fordham, [Florida Republican Mark] Foley's former chief of staff, said he alerted [Illinois Republican Dennis Hastert's chief of staff Scott] Palmer several years ago to his concerns about Foley's friendships with pages." ... "Palmer has denied Fordham's account." ... "So far, these people have claimed they warned congressional leaders or their staff about Foley:" ... "• Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz. [Republican-Arizona], said he alerted Hastert's staff in 2000 or 2001." ... "• Fordham said he spoke with the speaker's office in 2002 or 2003." ... "• Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La. [Republican-Louisiana], said he alerted the speaker's office last year and spoke to House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio [Republican], and Rep. Thomas Reynolds, R-N.Y. [Republican-New York], again this spring." ... "• Boehner and Reynolds said they brought up Alexander's complaints with Hastert. The speaker said he does not remember the conversation, but does not dispute that it occurred." ... "After Alexander contacted Hastert's office last year about e-mails that Foley had sent a Louisiana page, Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill. [Republican-Illinois], head of the House Page Board, and former House clerk Jeff Trandahl confronted Foley, who promised to stop." -By Kathy Kiely

-USATODAY

Renzi

Arizona

Real Estate

Money

Politics

Government

Legislation

"Officials scrutinize Ariz. land deal." ... "A land deal involving Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz. [Republican-Arizona], is being scrutinized by the U.S. attorney's office in Arizona, a law enforcement official in Washington said Tuesday." ... "Records and officials involved in the October 2005 deal say Renzi helped promote the sale of land that netted a former business partner $4.5 million." ... "The property eventually was to be part of a swap in which potential buyers could exchange it for land owned by the federal government. And while Renzi's business partner, James Sandlin, made money off the land sale, Renzi never introduced legislation in Congress to complete the swap for the new owners." ... "State records indicate that Renzi and Sandlin were partners in a real estate development firm dating back to at least 2002. It is unclear whether the two still have a business relationship." -By Jennifer Talhelm with contributions by Arthur H. Rotstein

-AP via -BostonGlobe

20061023

US -

World -

Jordan -

Detainee -

Torture -

Terrorism -

Government -

Human Rights

"Many nations follow American example on detainee treatment, envoy says." ... "Several governments around the world have tried to rebut criticism of how they handle detainees by claiming that they are only following the U.S. example in the war on terror, the U.N. anti-torture chief said Monday." ... "Manfred Nowak, the U.N. special investigator on torture, said that when he criticizes governments for their questionable treatment of detainees, they respond by telling him that that if the United States does something, it must be all right. He would not name any countries except for Jordan." ... ""The United States has been the pioneer, if you wish, of human rights and is a country that has a high reputation in the world," Nowak told reporters. "Today, many other governments are kind of saying, 'But why are you criticizing us, we are not doing something different than what the United States is doing.'""

-AP via -IHT.com

US -

Iraq -

Police

"15 Police Recruits Killed in Iraq; U.S. Death Toll for October Hits 86." ... "At least 15 Iraqi police recruits were killed Sunday when two buses taking them to Baghdad were ambushed by insurgents north of the capital, a local police official said. Twenty-five recruits were injured in the attack, and 20 others were kidnapped, he said." ... "On Sunday and Monday, the U.S. military announced the deaths of seven soldiers and a Marine, bringing the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq this month to 86 -- the fifth-highest total in any single month since the war began. The only higher monthly tolls were 137 in November 2004, 135 in April 2004, 106 in January 2005, and 96 in October, 2005. Attacks against U.S. and Iraqi forces in Baghdad have increased more than 40 percent since midsummer, U.S. military officials say." -By John Ward Anderson and Debbi Wilgoren

-WashingtonPost

20061022

Secret -

Electronic -

Voting Machines -

Company -

Hackers -

Technology -

Election 2006 -

Politics -

Maryland

"Electronic Voting Machines Could Skew Elections: Researchers, Candidates Have Little Confidence in Machines Designed to Make Elections Easier to Call." ... "Cheryl Kagan, a former Maryland Democratic legislator, was shocked when she opened her mail Wednesday morning." ... "Inside, she discovered three computer discs. With them was an anonymous letter saying the discs contained the secret source code for vote-counting that could be used to alter the votes cast through Maryland's new electronic voting machines." ... ""My understanding is that with these disks a malicious person could skew the outcome of an election," Kagan said." ... "Diebold, the company that makes the voting machines, told ABC News, "These discs do not alter the security of the Diebold touch-screen system in any way," because election workers can set their own passwords." ... "But ABC News has obtained an independent report commissioned by the state of Maryland and conducted by Science Applications International Corporation revealing that the original Diebold factory passwords are still being used on many voting machines." ... "The SAIC study also shows myriad other security flaws, including administrative over-ride passwords that cannot be changed by local officials but can be used by hackers or those who have seen the discs." (1, 2) -By Jake Tapper, Rebecca Abrahams, and Eduardo Sunol

-ABCNEWS.com

20061020

Sherwood

Pennsylvania

2006 Election

Law

Police

"During National Character Counts Week, Bush Stumps for Philanderer." ... "So it has come to this: Nineteen days before the midterm elections, President Bush flew here [Pennsylvania] to champion the reelection of a congressman who last year settled a $5.5 million lawsuit alleging that he beat his mistress during a five-year affair." ... ""I'm pleased to be here with Don Sherwood," a smiling president told the congressman's loyal but dispirited supporters at a luncheon fundraiser Thursday. "He has got a record of accomplishment."" ... "Quite a record. While representing the good people of the 10th District, the married congressman shacked up in Washington with a Peruvian immigrant more than three decades his junior. During one assignation in 2004, the woman, who says Sherwood was striking her and trying to strangle her, locked herself in a bathroom and called 911; Sherwood told police he was giving her a back rub." ... "At a time when Republicans are struggling to motivate religious conservatives to go to the polls next month, it is not clear what benefit the White House found in sending Bush to stump for Sherwood -- smack dab in the middle of what Bush, in an official proclamation, dubbed "National Character Counts Week."" ... "The nature of the accuser's allegations -- she said Sherwood gave her "facial lacerations, bruises about the head, neck and other portions of her body, head injury, injuries to her teeth, mouth and gums, back and neck strain, injuries to her scalp" -- makes it more than a distraction. Sherwood continues to deny abuse after reaching the secret settlement." -By Dana Milbank

-WashingtonPost

20061019

John E Sweeney

Jack Abramoff

Tony Rudy

Politician

Trip

Northern Mariana Islands

New York

Law

"Congressman Faces Questions Over Who Paid for Pacific Trip." ... "[New York Republican] Representative John E. Sweeney, an upstate Republican who is in a fierce fight to keep his seat, is facing questions about a trip he took to a western Pacific island with an associate of Jack Abramoff, the powerful Washington lobbyist at the center of an extensive corruption scandal." ... "The Times Union of Albany reported yesterday that Mr. Sweeney might have violated House ethics rules when he failed to disclose who paid for a trip that he made in January 2001 to one of the Northern Mariana Islands with Tony Rudy, who worked for Mr. Abramoff." ... "Mr. Sweeney made the trip to deliver a speech to the Saipan Chamber of Commerce in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a territory of the United States. Mr. Rudy was lobbying on behalf of the commonwealth." ... "The newspaper reported that the Chamber of Commerce says it paid for Mr. Sweeney’s visit. But Mr. Sweeney failed to report that the chamber paid for the trip, despite Congressional rules requiring full disclosure of privately financed travel, according to the newspaper." -By Raymond Hernandez

-NYTimes

Sherwood

Pennsylvania

2006 Election

Lawmaker

Police

"Bush campaigns for Pennsylvania congressman enmeshed in sex scandal." ... "He said she was "a casual acquaintance." She said they were extra-marital lovers, but told police that he tried to choke her. His wife says she forgives him. So does President Bush." ... "In fact, Bush traveled to northeastern Pennsylvania Thursday to help the wayward husband, Republican Rep. Don Sherwood, keep his seat in Congress. Perhaps it's a measure of the Republicans' plight that the president would throw his prestige behind a candidate whose marital misbehavior conjures memories of Bill Clinton." ... "Sherwood's five-year fling with a woman half his age has all the elements of a bad soap opera, but voter reaction to his performance could help decide whether Republicans keep control of the House of Representatives. Polls show Sherwood trailing Democratic challenger Chris Carney in a district that had been considered a lock for the GOP." ... "Sherwood's problems started in September 2004, when Cynthia Ore called police to the congressman's Capitol Hill apartment claiming that he'd choked her for no apparent reason." ... "She was 29 at the time; he was 63." ... "Sherwood was never charged, and the matter attracted little attention until the following spring, when Ore threatened legal action and provided details of a relationship that Sherwood had initially denied. The two met in 1999 at a gathering for young Republicans." -By Ron Hutcheson

-McClatchy via -KansasCity.com

20061018

US -

Russia -

Weldon -

Family -

Government -

Money -

Law -

Energy -

Politics -

Pennsylvania

"Weldon's Ties to Serbian Businessman Part of Probe." ... "Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade were surprised three years ago to be invited to a luncheon in honor of visiting Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa. [Republican-Pennsylvania]), hosted by Bogoljub Karic, a wealthy Serbian businessman who had been barred from visiting or trading with the United States because of his close ties to former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic." ... "Weldon "was visiting solely because of Karic," whom he was trying to get off the U.S. blacklist, a former senior embassy official familiar with the visit concluded. "It seemed odd" at the time, because Karic had no obvious tie to Weldon's district outside Philadelphia [Pennsylvania], and Weldon should have known the embassy was shunning contacts with him, the official said." ... "What the embassy apparently did not know is that the Karic family that year signed a contract with Weldon's daughter, Karen, and a business partner that called for monthly payments of $20,000 for "management, government and public relations," according to a copy of the March 2003 contract. In all, the family paid Karen Weldon's firm $133,858 that year for efforts she undertook to set up a foundation for it." ... "Curt Weldon's visit and that deal are under investigation by the FBI, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the probe. His efforts to assist clients of his daughter's consulting firm in their dealings with the federal government are the focus of that probe, according to sources familiar with it." ... "Besides looking at Weldon's Karic connection, the FBI is examining the lawmaker's contacts with a Russian-managed oil and gas company, Itera International Energy Corp., the sources said." (1, 2) -By R. Jeffrey Smith and Carol D. Leonnig -with contributions by Lucy Shackelford and Madonna Lebling

-WashingtonPost

US -

Iraq -

People

"10 troops slain, brings American October death toll to 69." ... "The U.S. military reported Wednesday that 10 American troops had been killed the day, raising the death toll so far this month to 69 and putting October on track to be the deadliest month for coalition forces since January 2005." ... "According to an Associated Press count, October also is on the way to being the deadliest month for Iraqis since the AP began tracking deaths in April 2005. In October, 767 Iraqis have been killed in war-related violence, an average of 45 every day." ... "The actual number is likely higher, as many killings go unreported." ... "For the U.S. military, October's death toll is on a pace that, if continued, would make the month the deadliest for coalition forces since January 2005, when 107 U.S. troops died. The war's deadliest month for U.S. forces was November 2004, when 137 troops died. At least 2,785 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an AP count."

-AP via -USATODAY

Jim Kolbe -

Foley -

Lawmakers -

Teens -

Ariz -

Fla

"Kolbe Matter Is Referred to House Ethics Panel: Allegations Involve Contact With Male Former Pages." ... "The House committee looking into allegations that former congressman Mark Foley (R-Fla. [Republican-Florida]) had improper contact with male former pages has been asked by lawmakers overseeing the page program to look into allegations involving a second lawmaker, House sources said yesterday." ... "Members of the Page Board sought the review after news reports last week that the Justice Department had opened a preliminary inquiry into a camping trip that Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz. [Republican-Arizona]) took with male former pages in 1996. That report sparked a conference call Monday among board members." ... "It was not clear what allegations the board was concerned about. But The Washington Post has learned of a potentially inappropriate incident involving Kolbe and a male page. The man recently told the House clerk's office and the FBI about an encounter with the Arizona Republican that occurred about five years ago when he was 16, according to someone familiar with the man's account. The page told authorities that he was "uncomfortable with a particular social encounter" that involved physical contact when he and Kolbe were alone, the source said yesterday." -By Jonathan Weisman and James V. Grimaldi

-WashingtonPost

Alexander

Foley

Hastert

Boehner

Trandahl

Reynolds

Lawmakers

E-Mails

Child

Louisiana

Florida

Ill

Ohio

"House Panel Probes Foley Page Scandal: Sponsor Of Louisiana Page Tells Ethics Panel Others Knew Of E-Mails Before He Did." ... "GOP Rep. Rodney Alexander [Louisiana Republican] appeared Wednesday morning and says that after he and his staff learned of the [Florida Republican Mark Foley] e-mails to the former page, his aides contacted the office of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.[Republican-Illinois], for advice on what to do about communications the boy's family thought were inappropriate." ... "His testimony is a small piece of a more confusing puzzle that puts Hastert and his aides at odds with the accounts of other top GOP lawmakers and their aides." ... "Two of those figures, Majority Leader [Republican] John Boehner, R-Ohio, and former House Clerk Jeff Trandahl, are scheduled to testify Thursday." ... "Boehner has said he discussed the Foley situation with Hastert last spring after Alexander informed him of the e-mails, as has Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y. [Republican-New York.]"

-AP via -CBSNews

20061017

Secret -

Military -

Terrorism -

Torture -

Prisons -

Legislation -

Religious -

Civil Liberties -

History -

Politics

"Bush Signs Terror Interrogation Law." ... "President Bush signed legislation Tuesday authorizing tough interrogation of terror suspects and smoothing the way for trials before military commissions, calling it a "vital tool" in the war against terrorism." ... "Bush's plan for treatment of the terror suspects became law just six weeks after he acknowledged that the CIA had been secretly interrogating suspected terrorists overseas and pressed Congress to quickly give authority to try them in military commissions." ... "A coalition of religious groups staged a protest against the bill outside the White House, shouting "Bush is the terrorist" and "Torture is a crime." About 15 of the protesters, standing in a light rain, refused orders to move. Police arrested them one by one." ... "The law protects detainees from blatant abuses during questioning - such as rape, torture and "cruel and inhuman" treatment - but does not require that any of them be granted legal counsel. Also, it specifically bars detainees from filing habeas corpus petitions challenging their detentions in federal courts." ... "Many Democrats opposed the legislation because they said it eliminated rights of defendants considered fundamental to American values, such as a person's ability to go to court to protest their detention and the use of coerced testimony as evidence." ... "The American Civil Liberties Union said the new law is "one of the worst civil liberties measures ever enacted in American history."" ... ""The president can now, with the approval of Congress, indefinitely hold people without charge, take away protections against horrific abuse, put people on trial based on hearsay evidence, authorize trials that can sentence people to death based on testimony literally beaten out of witnesses, and slam shut the courthouse door for habeas petitions," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero." ... ""Nothing could be further from the American values we all hold in our hearts than the Military Commissions Act," he said." -By Nedra Pickler

-AP

20061016

US -

Russia -

Energy -

Weldon -

Money -

Law -

Politics -

PA -

Florida

"FBI raids four homes, two offices in Weldon probe." ... "FBI agents investigating U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon (R., Pa. [Republican, Pennsylvania]) conducted six raids this morning - including at the homes of his daughter and a longtime friend." ... "In Center City [Pennsylvania], agents searched the law office of John Gallagher, a Weldon friend who has conducted extensive business in Russia and former Soviet Republics." ... "In Media [Pennsylvania], agents searched the offices of the public relations firm formed by Weldon's longtime friend Charles P. Sexton Jr., and the congressman's daughter, Karen." ... "Sexton and Karen Weldon formed Solutions North America in 2002, and won $1 million in contracts from two Russian energy firms and a Serbian family with ties to Slobodan Milosevic." ... "FBI agents in Jacksonville, Fla. [Florida], raided the office of one of the Russian energy firms, Itera, and a private residence whose connection to the investigation was not disclosed." ... "" -By John Shiffman, Mitch Lipka and Patrick Kerkstra

-Philly.com

20061015

Afghanistan -

Canada -

Italian -

Photographer

"Surge Of Violent Clashes In Afghanistan: NATO Soldiers Killed In Ambush; Photographer And Assistant Kidnapped." ... "Two NATO soldiers were killed Saturday in southern Afghanistan after militants ambushed them with rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire, the alliance said." ... "An Italian freelance photographer and his assistant, meanwhile, were abducted by armed men in southern Helmand province, an Afghan official said." ... "Canada's defense department identified the dead NATO sold[i]ers as Canadian but did not release their names." ... "Counting the latest fatalities, 42 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002." (1, 2)

-AP via -CBSNews

US -

North Korea -

Nuclear -

Military -

History -

Politics

"N. Korean Nuclear Conflict Has Deep Roots: 50 Years of Threats and Broken Pacts Culminate in Apparent Atomic Test." ... "Democrats and Republicans have been quick to use North Korea's apparent nuclear test to benefit their own party in these final weeks of the congressional campaign, but a review of history shows that both sides have contributed to the current situation." ... "There is more than 50 years of history to Pyongyang's attempt to gain a nuclear weapon, triggered in part by threats from Presidents Harry S. Truman [Democrat] and Dwight D. Eisenhower [Republican] to end the Korean War." ... "In 1950, when a reporter asked Truman whether he would use atomic bombs at a time when the war was going badly, the president said, "That includes every weapon we have."" ... "Three years later, Eisenhower made a veiled threat, saying he would "remove all restraints in our use of weapons" if the North Korean government did not negotiate in good faith an ending to that bloody war." ... "In 1957, the United States placed nuclear-tipped Matador missiles in South Korea, to be followed in later years, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, by nuclear artillery, most of which was placed within miles of the demilitarized zone." ... "It was not until President [Democrat] Jimmy Carter's administration, in the late 1970s, that the first steps were taken to remove some of the hundreds of nuclear weapons that the United States maintained in South Korea, a process that was not completed until 1991, under the first [Republican] Bush administration." -By Walter Pincus

-WashingtonPost

Poverty -

Legislation -

Politics -

Book

"A Loss Of Faith: Former White House Insider Tells Lesley Stahl Staffers Called Evangelicals "Nuts" And "Goofy"." ... "David Kuo is an evangelical Christian and card-carrying member of the religious right, who got a job in the White House in the president’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. He thought it was a dream-come-true: a chance to work for a president whose vision about compassionate conservatism would be matched with sweeping legislation to help the poor." ... "But Kuo says the so-called compassion agenda has fallen short of its promise and he blames President Bush for that in his new book." ... "As correspondent Lesley Stahl reports, he also says the White House was a place that cynically used religion for political ends and that White House aides ridiculed the very Christian leaders who helped bring Mr. Bush to office." ... "Kuo speaks as an insider. Even before he became the number two guy in the White House faith-based office, he had a long resume in the world of Christian conservatives." ... ""This message that has been sent out to Christians for a long time now: that Jesus came primarily for a political agenda, and recently primarily a right-wing political agenda - as if this culture war is a war for God. And it’s not a war for God, it’s a war for politics. And that’s a huge difference," says Kuo." ... ""God and politics had become very much fused together into a sort of a single entity. Where, in a way, politics was the fourth part of the trinity. God the father, God the son, God the holy spirit, God the politician," says Kuo." ... ""You’re calling for a fast. That’s your expression," Stahl remarks." ... ""Yes. I think that Christians, particularly evangelical Christians need to take a step back. To have a fast from politics," he replies. "People are being manipulated. Good well-meaning people are being told, ‘Send your money to this Christian advocacy group or that.’ And that’s the answer. It’s just not the answer. It’s not the answer."" (1, 2, 3)

-CBSNews

20061014

US -

Afghan -

Police

"String of Deadly Attacks In Afghanistan: U.S. Army Special Forces Soldier, 3 NATO Soldiers, Several Afghan Policemen and Civilians Killed." ... "An Army Special Forces soldier died of combat-related injuries sustained in Afghanistan." ... "Six Afghan policemen, meanwhile, died after a roadside bomb hit their convoy Friday elsewhere in eastern Afghanistan, said Gen. Anan Roufi, the police chief of Paktia province." ... "Late Friday, Taliban militants attacked a police patrol in Zabul province, sparking a firefight that left two police and three militants dead, said Noor Mohammad Paktin, the provincial police chief."

-AP via -CBSNews

Ney

Abramoff

Doolittle

Volz

Money

Politics

Ohio

Montana

California

"Ney Pleads Guilty to Corruption Charges: Lawmaker's Conviction Is 8th in Abramoff Probe." ... "[Ohio Republican Bob] Ney is the eighth person convicted in the continuing federal investigation into Abramoff's activities. A federal task force that includes a dozen Justice Department prosecutors is investigating Abramoff's dealings with other congressional offices, including those of Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont. [Republican-Montana]) and Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-Calif. [Republican-California]), according to lawyers and witnesses involved in the probe." ... "The Ohio Republican had been a target of the investigation for a year and came under increasing pressure -- first in January with Abramoff's guilty plea and agreement to cooperate in the investigation, then with the guilty plea in May of his former aide Neil G. Volz, who admitted conspiring to corruptly influence the congressman and others. Ney admitted encouraging Volz to violate the one-year ban on lobbying by former staffers." ... "Earlier this year, Ney's committee passed ethics legislation to strip convicted lawmakers of their pensions, but the bill died in the House." -By Susan Schmidt and James V. Grimaldi with contributions by Alice Crites

-WashingtonPost

20061013

Rove -

Faith -

Politics -

Book -

Foley -

"Book: Bush Aides Called Evangelicals 'Nuts': White House advisors sought the support of conservative Christians but mocked them in private, writes a onetime administration official." ... "A new book by a former White House official says that President Bush's top political advisors privately ridiculed evangelical supporters as "nuts" and "goofy" while embracing them in public and using their votes to help win elections." ... "The former official also writes that the White House office of faith-based initiatives, which Bush promoted as a nonpolitical effort to support religious social-service organizations, was told to host pre-election events designed to mobilize religious voters who would most likely favor Republican candidates." ... "The assertions by David Kuo, a top official in the faith-based initiatives program, have rattled Republican strategists already struggling to persuade evangelical voters to turn out this fall for the GOP." ... "Some conservatives lamented Thursday that the book, "Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction," also comes in the midst of the scandal involving former [Florida Republican] Rep. Mark Foley, another threat to conservative turnout in competitive House and Senate races." ... "In the book, Kuo, who quit the White House in 2003, accuses Karl Rove's political staff of cynically hijacking the faith-based initiatives idea for electoral gain. It assails Bush for failing to live up to his promises of boosting the role of religious organizations in delivering social services." ... "Kuo is not the first insider to accuse the White House of politicizing the faith-based program. John J. DiIulio Jr., the first director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, resigned after seven months and was quoted as saying that the White House was run by "Mayberry Machiavellians" who sometimes put politics ahead of other causes." ... "While many Democrats opposed the initiative as a violation of church-state separation, the White House used the program to build alliances with prominent African American ministers, some of whom switched political allegiances to back Bush. It was part of a larger minority outreach program designed by Rove and other conservative activists to slice off pieces of the traditional Democratic coalitions in order to build a lasting GOP majority." -By Peter Wallsten

-LAtimes

Secret -

US -

World -

German -

Syrian - Military -

Terrorism -

Torture -

Prisons -

Politics -

Journalist-

Book

"Inside the CIA's Secret Prisons Program: An explosive new book provides a rare glimpse into the full extent of the agency's controversial terror renditions — and the curious coalition of partners who helped the U.S. pull them off." ... "In December of 2001, U.S. agents arranged to have a German citizen flown to a Syrian jail called the Palestine Branch, renowned for its use of torture, and later offered to pass written questions to Syrian interrogators to pose to the prisoner, according to a secret German intelligence report shown to TIME on Wednesday. The report is described in the new book Ghost Plane: The True Story of the CIA Torture Program by British investigative journalist Stephen Grey. The complex arrangement was part of the CIA's sprawling practice of extraordinary renditions, the secret transfer of terror suspects to hidden prisons across the world — which has involved the aid of numerous foreign governments and the knowledge of key Western European allies, according to the book, which was shown to TIME by the author. After U.S. officials long refused to confirm the CIA's secret detention of terror suspects abroad, President Bush last month admitted that terror suspects had been transferred abroad to secret CIA facilities, but U.S. officials continue to deny that such prisoners have been tortured, saying that foreign governments assured them that they would be treated fairly." ... "The cooperation between an unlikely coalition of intelligence agencies did not end there. The intelligence report gives a rare glimpse into the favors exchanged between governments during the CIA renditions. One day after Germany learned that the Syrians were holding Zammar, the CIA offered the German foreign-intelligence agency BND the chance to put written questions to their prisoner. The intelligence report doesn't make clear whether CIA interrogators had direct physical access to Zammar. In June 2002, Syrian officials offered German interrogators access to Zammar in prison, according to the 263-page report by the BND, marked "Geheim" (Secret). That same day, the BND chief asked Germany's federal prosecutors to drop their charges against Syrian intelligence agents who had been arrested in Germany for allegedly collecting information on Syrian dissidents." (1, 2) -By Vivienne Walt

-TIME.com

Abramoff -

Doolittle -

Family -

Business -

E-Mail -

California -

Military

"E-mail adds fuel to the fire: It suggests Doolittle wanted wife to work for Abramoff in 2000." ... "A day after a hot campaign debate in which [California Republican] Rep. John Doolittle said there was nothing unethical in his relationship with Jack Abramoff, a new e-mail surfaced Thursday indicating he was hoping his wife could go to work for the disgraced lobbyist as early as 2000." ... "The e-mail released Thursday was written by Kevin Ring, an Abramoff associate and former Doolittle staffer, to his boss. In it, Ring relates that Doolittle is "very very excited and appreciative" about the possibility of his wife, Julie, going to work for an Abramoff nonprofit group called Toward Tradition." ... ""JTD knows of the group and would like to talk to you about it," the e-mail says." ... "The e-mail suggests Doolittle was trying to get a job for his wife two years before she ultimately took a position working for Abramoff at his law firm, Greenberg Traurig." ... "[Democrat Charlie] Brown, a retired Air Force officer, is seeking to unseat Doolittle, who is running for a ninth term representing the 4th Congressional District. Republicans outnumber Democrats in the district 48 percent to 30 percent." -By David Whitney

-SacBee.com

Abramoff -

Norquist -

Rove -

Money -

Government -

Newspaper -

Op-Ed - Politics

"Report Says Nonprofits Sold Influence to Abramoff." ... "Five conservative nonprofit organizations, including one run by prominent Republican Grover Norquist, "appear to have perpetrated a fraud" on taxpayers by selling their clout to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Senate investigators said in a report issued yesterday." ... "The report includes previously unreleased e-mails between the now-disgraced lobbyist and officers of the nonprofit groups, showing that Abramoff funneled money from his clients to the groups. In exchange, the groups, among other things, produced ostensibly independent newspaper op-ed columns or news releases that favored the clients' positions." ... "Officers of the groups "were generally available to carry out Mr. Abramoff's requests for help with his clients in exchange for cash payments," said the report, issued by the Senate Finance Committee." ... "The Senate report released yesterday states that the nonprofit groups probably violated their tax-exempt status "by laundering payments and then disbursing funds at Mr. Abramoff's direction; taking payments in exchange for writing newspaper columns or press releases that put Mr. Abramoff's clients in a favorable light; introducing Mr. Abramoff's clients to government officials in exchange for payment; and agreeing to act as a front organization for congressional trips paid for by Mr. Abramoff's clients."" ... "The report bolstered earlier revelations that Abramoff laundered money through the nonprofits to pay for congressional trips and paid Norquist to arrange meetings for Abramoff's clients with government officials including White House senior adviser Karl Rove." (1, 2) -By James V. Grimaldi and Susan Schmidt with contributions by Alice Crites

-WashingtonPost

Ney -

Abramoff -

Norquist -

Rove -

Money -

Politics -

Ohio

"Rep. Bob Ney Pleads Guilty to Bribery Charges: Linked to Lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Ney Says He'll Resign Soon but Perhaps Not Soon Enough for GOP Leadership." ... "Republican Bob Ney, a six-term congressman from Ohio, pleaded guilty today in Federal District Court to taking bribes in the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling scandal." ... "Standing before Judge Ellen S. Huvelle, Ney pleaded guilty to conspiracy and making false statements. He acknowledged taking money, gifts and favors in return for official actions on behalf of Abramoff and his clients." ... "Three former House GOP aides have already pleaded guilty to corruption charges involving Abramoff, a once powerful lobbyist with especially close ties to top Republicans." ... "The Abramoff fallout has now spread wider, with a Senate Finance Committee report maintaining that five conservative nonprofit groups may have illegally helped the once powerful lobbyist." ... "Most notable are the charges aimed at Americans for Tax Reform, headed by Grover Norquist, an influential adviser to Republicans with close ties to President Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove. The organizations cited in the report deny any wrongdoing." ... "Committee investigators said the groups may have violated their tax-exempt status by helping Abramoff and his clients." (1, 2, 3) -By John Cochran

-ABCNEWS.com

Jim Kolbe

Gay

Ariz

Legislator

Teenager

Politics

"Feds probe trip that Kolbe made with pages: NBC exclusive: Congressman alleged to have been inappropriate in '96." ... "Federal prosecutors in Arizona have opened a preliminary investigation of a camping trip Congressman Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz. [Republican-Arizona], took 10 years ago that included two teenage congressional pages, a Justice Department spokesman told NBC News. NBC News first reported on the camping and rafting trip on Tuesday." ... "A spokesman for the Justice Department in Washington said that the U.S. attorney in Arizona has started a "preliminary assessment" of the trip, after an unidentified source made allegations about the congressman's behavior on the expedition." ... "As NBC News first reported, Kolbe took a tour down the Grand Canyon in July 1996 with a group that included two 17-year-old males who had recently left the congressional page program." ... "Kolbe, the only openly gay Republican legislator in both houses of Congress, had not acknowledged his homosexuality publicly at the time." ... "NBC News interviewed several people who were on the trip, and their accounts vary. One participant, who requested anonymity, said he was uncomfortable with the attention Kolbe paid to one of the former pages. He was "creeped out by it," he said, adding that there was a lot of "fawning, petting and touching" on the teenager's arms, shoulders and back by Kolbe." -By Jim Popkin and Aram Roston

-MSNBC

US -

Russia -

Weldon -

Family -

Money -

Politics -

Law -

Pennsylvania

"FBI investigates Rep. Curt Weldon." ... "The Justice Department is investigating whether Republican Rep. Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania traded his political influence for lucrative lobbying and consulting contracts for his daughter, according to sources with direct knowledge of the inquiry." ... "The FBI, which opened an investigation in recent months, has formally referred the matter to the department's Public Integrity Section for additional scrutiny. At issue are Weldon's efforts between 2002 and 2004 to aid two Russian companies and two Serbian brothers with ties to strongman Slobodan Milosevic, a federal law enforcement official said." ... "The Russian companies and a Serbian foundation run by the brothers' family each hired a firm co-owned by Weldon's daughter, Karen, for fees totaling nearly $1 million a year, public records show." ... "Karen Weldon was 28 and lacked consulting experience when she and Charles Sexton, a Weldon ally and longtime Republican leader in Delaware County, Pa., created the firm of Solutions North America Inc. in 2002." ... "Spokesmen for the FBI and the Justice Department declined to confirm or deny that an inquiry is under way." ... "But McClatchy Newspapers' sources said the FBI only over the last few months obtained evidence suggesting that the congressman may have broken the law. One of the sources, a federal law enforcement official, said that Weldon had not yet been told about the inquiry." -By Greg Gordon

-McClatchy via -RealCities

Weldon -

Pennsylvania -

Media -

Market -

Military

"Navy Vet Sestak Coming Closer to Sinking Weldon in Pa. 7." ... "The Democratic nominee is Joe Sestak, a retired Navy vice admiral whose well-financed campaign in a strongly Democratic campaign year ranks him as the biggest threat yet to [Pennsylvania Republican Curt] Weldon’s continued incumbency." ... "Sestak’s campaign has been buoyed by fundraising strength that ensures him visibility in the pricey Philadelphia media market, and an independent poll showed the race is a dead heat." -By Greg Giroux

-CQPolitics.com via -NYTimes

Ney -

Abramoff -

Volz -

Money -

Politics -

Ohio - "

Rep. Ney to enter guilty plea." ... "The Jack Abramoff influence-peddling investigation claims its first member of Congress with Rep. Bob Ney set to plead guilty to taking bribes." ... "Ney, an Ohio Republican in his sixth term, faces up to 10 years in prison in a scandal that has tainted the White House as well as Capitol Hill." ... "Ney, scheduled enter his plea Friday, signed papers a month ago admitting to charges of conspiracy and making false statements. He also acknowledged that he had deprived the public of his honest services." ... "Ney's former chief of staff Neil Volz, who left Capitol Hill to work with Abramoff, pleaded guilty in May to charges that he conspired to corrupt his former boss and others."

-AP via -USATODAY

20061012

Abramoff

Doolittle

Family

Politics

California

Virginia

"Abramoff e-mail indicates more ties with Doolittle." ... "[California Republican] Rep. John Doolittle wanted to talk to lobbyist Jack Abramoff in 2000 about a position for his wife Julie Doolittle at a nonprofit now accused of doing favors for Abramoff in exchange for cash, according to an e-mail released Thursday." ... "Doolittle has denied any wrongdoing in his ties with Abramoff and has said he's not been contacted by prosecutors in connection with the ongoing investigation. Among other ties, Doolittle accepted campaign money from Abramoff, interceded on behalf of two of his tribal clients and used Abramoff's luxury sports box for a fundraiser without initially reporting it." ... "Julie Doolittle's company, Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions Inc. of Oakton, Va. [Virginia], was paid $66,690 by Abramoff's firm Greenberg Traurig from September 2002 to February 2004." -By Erica Werner

-AP via -MercuryNews

UK -

Iraq -

Religious -

Politics

"Sir Richard Dannatt : A very honest General." ... "[Head of the UK's Army] Sir Richard's lead in shining a light on the Armed Forces extends to the mission in Iraq. He says with great clarity and honesty that "our presence exacerbates the security problems". "I think history will show that the planning for what happened after the initial successful war-fighting phase was poor, probably based more on optimism than sound planning." ... ""History will show that a vacuum was created and into the vacuum malign elements moved. The hope that we might have been able to get out of Iraq in 12, 18, 24 months after the initial start in 2003 has proved fallacious. Now hostile elements have got a hold it has made our life much more difficult in Baghdad and in Basra." ... ""The original intention was that we put in place a liberal democracy that was an exemplar for the region, was pro-West and might have a beneficial effect on the balance within the Middle East." ... ""That was the hope. Whether that was a sensible or naïve hope, history will judge. I don't think we are going to do that. I think we should aim for a lower ambition."" ... "Sir Richard adds, strongly, that we should "get ourselves out sometime soon because our presence exacerbates the security problems". "We are in a Muslim country and Muslims' views of foreigners in their country are quite clear. "As a foreigner, you can be welcomed by being invited into a country, but we weren't invited, certainly by those in Iraq at the time. Let's face it, the military campaign we fought in 2003 effectively kicked the door in." ... ""That is a fact. I don't say that the difficulties we are experiencing around the world are caused by our presence in Iraq, but undoubtedly our presence in Iraq exacerbates them."" ... "He contrasts this with the situation in Afghanistan, where we remain at the invitation of President Hamid Karzai's government." ... ""There is a clear distinction between our status and position in Iraq and in Afghanistan, which is why I have much more optimism that we can get it right in Afghanistan."" -By Sarah Sands

-DailyMail.co.uk

Oregon -

Immigration -

Labor -

Law

"Saxton ads fuel scrutiny of farm's labor: Immigration - Attacks on Gov. Ted Kulongoski over illegal migrants draw attention to the GOP hopeful's past." ... "The Republican candidate for governor, Ron Saxton, has run ads saying illegal immigrants are "pouring in" to Oregon and criticizing Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski for his handling of the issue." ... "But Saxton, who was part owner of a farm near Salem until about 2000, acknowledges that he used migrant workers on his farm and that he can't say for sure whether some of them were undocumented." ... "In a September interview with The Oregonian, Saxton responded, "I don't know," when asked whether illegal immigrants worked on the farm. Illegal immigration wasn't such a big issue in the 1990s, he said." ... "This year, illegal immigration has become a hotly debated national issue, and Saxton has made it a high-profile topic of his campaign. His uncertainty over hiring practices at his farm, however, shows how quickly a sound-bite issue can get complicated in the heat of a political campaign." (1, 2) -By Harry Esteve and Alex Pulaski

-OregonLive.com /Oregonian

2008 Election

Virginia

"Warner Won't Run for Presidency in '08." ... "Former Virginia [Democrat] Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) announced this morning that he will not seek the presidency in 2008, saying he wants to spend more time with his family." ... "In a statement released shortly before his 11 a.m. press conference here, Warner said, "This has been a difficult decision, but for me, it's the right decision." He said he made up his mind after celebrating this father's 81st birthday in Connecticut and touring colleges with his oldest daughter." ... "The decision to abandon a presidential run could position Warner to be a vice presidential pick for the eventual Democratic nominee. Or it could allow him to seek Virginia Republican John Warner's U.S. Senate seat if Warner retires in 2008." ... "The ex-governor could also run for his old job again. Virginia law does not allow sitting governors to run for reelection, but does allow them to seek the office again after a four-year hiatus. Warner, who left office with record approval ratings, has expressed repeatedly that he might want the job back someday." -By Michael D. Shear

-WashingtonPost

20061011

Jim Kolbe

Arizona

Gay

Foley

Florida

E-Mails

"Rep. Kolbe visited Grand Canyon with pages: Park Service workers, office staffers accompanied group during 1996 trip." ... "[Arizona Republican Jim] Kolbe is the only openly gay Republican congressman. He has been active with the congressional page program for years, and was himself a page in 1958 for Sen. Barry Goldwater." ... "This week, Kolbe got dragged into the controversy surrounding disgraced Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla. Republican-Florida). In a statement on Tuesday, Kolbe acknowledged that he had known for years about e-mails from Foley that had made one former page "uncomfortable."" -By Jim Popkin and Aram Roston

-MSNBC

Gay

Foley

Teenage

E-Mail

2004 Election

"Page scandal exposes GOP's gay identity crisis." ... "At a State Department ceremony this week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warmly acknowledged the family members of Mark Dybul, whom she was swearing in as the nation's new global AIDS coordinator." ... "As first lady Laura Bush looked on, Rice singled out his partner, Jason Claire, and Claire's mother. Rice referred to her as Dybul's "mother-in-law."" ... "The celebratory moment for a gay couple was emblematic of the political identity crisis facing the Republican Party, two years after an election the GOP won in part by making gay marriage an issue and less than two weeks after revelations about a Republican House member's advances toward teenage boys." ... "For Republicans, the most difficult problem posed by the e-mail exchanges that former [Florida Republican] congressman Mark Foley had with pages is not necessarily the flagrant misbehavior of one member. Rather it's the fact that the investigation is exposing a politically awkward fact of life: some GOP leaders practice a more tolerant brand of politics in their office hiring than some in the party have preached on the campaign trail." ... "The revelations have disturbed some conservative activists, who believe that Republicans owe their victories in the 2004 elections to the thousands of "values voters" who trooped to the polls to vote for anti-gay-marriage measures on the ballots of 11 swing states." -By Kathy Kiely

-USATODAYz

Abramoff -

Pombo -

Money -

Lawmakers -

History -

US -

Northern Mariana Islands -

Garment -

Labor -

California

"AP Exclusive: Records suggest Abramoff, Pombo lobbying contacts." ... "California [Republican] Rep. Richard Pombo has insisted he was never lobbied by [Republican lobbyist] Jack Abramoff. Records show the disgraced lobbyist billed a client for at least two contacts with Pombo a decade ago." ... "The lobbying records released by the Northern Mariana Islands show that Abramoff billed once for calls to Pombo, chairman of the House Resources Committee, and a second time for a discussion with him, while lobbying in 1996." ... "On more than two dozen other occasions from 1996 through 2001, Abramoff associates called or met with members of Pombo's staff, including his chief of staff, the records indicate. As the contacts picked up, Pombo voted Abramoff's way on a bill important to Abramoff's clients." ... "The Northern Mariana Islands, a chain of 14 islands near Guam, became a U.S. commonwealth in 1986. Residents have nonvoting citizenship but the islands are exempt from many federal labor laws." ... "Democrats, complaining about reported abuses at low-paying garment factories, have sought to end those exemptions and increase the minimum wage, now $3.05 an hour. The Marianas government hired Abramoff to block such moves." ... "On Sept. 10, 1996, Abramoff billed for a discussion with Pombo. Two days later he gave Pombo a $500 donation, the first of what would become $7,500 in campaign contributions. Pombo has since donated the money to charity. On Nov. 21, 1996, Abramoff reported putting in calls to Pombo and other lawmakers." -By Erica Werner

-AP via -MercuryNews

20061010

Foley

Hastert

Reynolds

Kirk Fordham

Scott Palmer

Florida

Illinois

New York

"Foley's Reputed Visit to the Page Dormitory: New Testimony May Pose Problems for GOP Leadership." ... "House speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. [Republican-Illinois], tries to change the subject. But the accusations about Hastert subordinates who were apparently told about Congressman Mark Foley's questionable behavior keep coming." ... "Meanwhile, ABC News has learned that one former staffer who worked for the GOP leadership will tell the House Ethics Committee Thursday about an incident several years ago in which he was alerted that an apparently inebriated Foley [Republican-Florida] had tried to gain access to the pages' dormitory." ... "A source with firsthand knowledge of events says that this coming Thursday, Kirk Fordham — former chief of staff to both Foley and more recently Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y. [Republican-New York] — will testify that a few years ago he was told by then-House clerk Jeff Trandahl that Foley had been stopped while trying to enter the pages' dorm in an apparently intoxicated state. The source said Fordham will testify that he recalls this being the event that convinced both him and Trandahl to warn Hastert's office, with Fordham designated to have the conversation with Hastert's chief of staff, Scott Palmer. The source said that both aides had been watching Foley's behavior with pages and that Fordham had counseled Foley to watch his behavior." ... "The source tells ABC News that Fordham will testify that he alerted Palmer that Foley had a pattern of displaying inappropriate behavior toward pages. Asked about Fordham's claim that he met with Palmer in approximately 2003 to warn him about Foley's behavior, Palmer said in a statement, "What Kirk Fordham said did not happen."" ... "Last month, before the Foley scandal broke, Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Fla. [Republican-Florida], also learned about the dormitory incident, which she said she was told about from firsthand sources." (1, 2, 3)

-ABCNEWS.com

Jim Kolbe

Arizona

Foley

Florida

"Ex-Page Aired Concerns About Foley to Congressman in 2000." ... "A former Congressional page approached Representative Jim Kolbe, Republican of Arizona, as long as six years ago to report feeling uncomfortable by messages sent from [Florida Republican] Representative Mark Foley, but a spokeswoman for Mr. Kolbe said Monday that it was unclear if Mr. Kolbe had forwarded the complaint to House leaders." ... "Mr. Kolbe, a former member of the board that oversees the House page program, remembers talking to a page with concerns about Mr. Foley's conduct, said Korenna Cline, Mr. Kolbe s press secretary. But Mr. Kolbe could not remember whether he confronted Mr. Foley directly, Ms. Cline said, or delegated the matter to his staff." ... "Mr. Kolbe, who briefly served as the acting chairman of the page board, often talked about his admiration for the program, once declaring on the House floor that he had a “special relationship with the page program.”" -By Jeff Zeleny and David D. Kirkpatrick

-NYTimes

George Allen -

Virginia -

Politics -

2006 Election

"Allen's Undisclosed Stock Options Were Worth Up to $1.1 Million." ... "Stock options that Senator George Allen [Virginia Republican] described as worthless were worth as much as $1.1 million at one point, according to a review of Senate disclosure forms and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings." ... "The records appear to contradict remarks he made to the Associated Press. ``I got paid in stock options which were worthless,'' AP quoted him as saying." ... "Allen served as a board member of Chantilly, Virginia-based Xybernaut Corp. from 1998 until December 2000 and was awarded options on 110,000 shares during that period. His Senate financial disclosure form for 1999, required for candidates as well as officeholders, doesn't report that he owned the options." ... "The stock options issue didn't arise during a televised debate last night between Allen, a 54-year-old Republican, and Democratic nominee Jim Webb, 60. Nevertheless, Mark Rozell, a professor of public policy at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia, said the issue poses a problem for Allen, who polls show is in a close [2006 election] race with Webb." ... "``In an election season in which congressional ethics and morality are at the top of public discussion, Allen may now be seen by much of the public as part of a larger problem afflicting his party,'' Rozell said. " -By Michael Forsythe and Miles Weiss

-Bloomberg

20061009

North Korea -

International -

US -

Japan -

South Korea -

China -

Russia -

UN -

Military -

Politics

"Outcry at N Korea 'nuclear test': North Korea's claim to have successfully tested a nuclear weapon has sparked international condemnation." ... "President George W Bush said the US was working to confirm the claim, which he branded a "provocative" act." ... "Japan and South Korea also condemned the test and even Pyongyang's closest ally China expressed its "resolute opposition", calling the move "brazen"." ... "Members of the United Nations Security Council have begun meeting in New York to discuss their reaction." ... "The size of the bomb is uncertain. South Korean reports put it as low as 550 tons of destructive power but Russia said it was between five and 15 kilotons. The 1945 Hiroshima bomb was 12.5-15 kilotons." ... "South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said it would be "difficult" to maintain his country's policy of engagement with the North." ... "He feared the move could "spark a nuclear arms build-up in other countries", although Japan quickly said it would maintain its ban on nuclear weapons." ... "If confirmed, the test would make North Korea the ninth country known to have nuclear weapons."

-BBC /News

George Allen -

Virginia -

2006 Election -

Police -

Lawmakers -

Government -

Military -

Politics

"AP: Sen. Allen failed to disclose stock options." ... "Sen. George Allen [Virginia, Republican], locked in a tight re-election [2006] race, still holds stock options from his time as director of a high-tech company, but has failed to disclose them to Congress and the public the past five years." ... "The Virginia Republican also asked the Army to help another business that gave him similar options." ... "Congressional rules require senators to disclose to the Senate all deferred compensation, such as stock options. The rules also urge senators to avoid taking any official action that could benefit them financially or appear to do so." ... "Those requirements exist so the public can police lawmakers for possible conflicts of interest, especially involving companies with government business that lawmakers can influence." ... "At least twice during his corporate service, companies told the SEC that Allen had failed to promptly file required reports on insider stock transactions."

-AP via -CNN

Foley -

Hastert-

Shimkus -

Alexander -

Fla -

Ill -

La -

Ariz -

Gay -

Lawmaker -

Internet -

E-Mail -

Communication -

Messages

"Lawmaker Saw Foley Messages In 2000: Page Notified GOP Rep. Kolbe." ... "A Republican congressman knew of disgraced former representative Mark Foley's inappropriate Internet exchanges as far back as 2000 and personally confronted Foley about his communications." ... "A spokeswoman for Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz. [Republican-Arizona]) confirmed yesterday that a former page showed the congressman Internet messages that had made the youth feel uncomfortable with the direction Foley (R-Fla. [Republican-Florida]) was taking their e-mail relationship. Last week, when the Foley matter erupted, a Kolbe staff member suggested to the former page that he take the matter to the clerk of the House, Karen Haas, said Kolbe's press secretary, Korenna Cline." ... "The revelation pushes back by at least five years the date when a member of Congress has acknowledged learning of Foley's behavior with former pages. A timeline issued by House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill. [Republican-Illinois]) suggested that the first lawmakers to know, Rep. John M. Shimkus (R-Ill. [Republican-Illinois]), the chairman of the House Page Board, and Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-La. [Republican-Louisiana]), became aware of "over-friendly" e-mails only last fall. It also expands the universe of players in the drama beyond members, either in leadership or on the page board." ... "A source with direct knowledge of Kolbe's involvement said the messages shared with Kolbe were sexually explicit, and he read the contents to The Washington Post under the condition that they not be reprinted." ... "Kolbe, the only openly gay Republican in Congress, is retiring at the end of the year." -By Jonathan Weisman with contributions by James V. Grimaldi

-WashingtonPost

20061007

Rove

Abramoff

Ralston

Sports

Entertainment

Money

Government

Intelligence

Northern Mariana Islands

E-Mail

Safavian

"Rove Aide Linked To Abramoff Resigns: Scandal Claims Its First West Wing Job." ... "A top aide to White House strategist Karl Rove resigned yesterday after disclosures that she accepted gifts from and passed information to now-convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, becoming the first official in the West Wing to lose a job in the influence-peddling scandal." ... "Susan B. Ralston submitted her resignation to avoid causing political damage to President Bush a month before the midterm elections, officials said. "She did not want to be a distraction to the White House at this important time," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino." ... "A congressional report showed last week that Ralston accepted sometimes-pricey tickets to nine sports and entertainment events from Abramoff while she provided him with inside White House information. The bipartisan report said there is no evidence that Rove knew of or approved of Ralston's actions, and sources said yesterday that the White House was surprised by the report's revelations." ... "The only other White House official caught up in the probe has been David H. Safavian, the procurement chief for the Office of Management and Budget, who was convicted in June of lying about his ties to Abramoff." ... "As a former Abramoff assistant, Ralston played intermediary between the lobbyist and Rove. The congressional report found 66 Abramoff contacts with the White House, more than half of them with Ralston. In addition, Abramoff's lobbying colleagues contacted Ralston 69 times." ... "On Oct. 21, 2001, Ralston e-mailed Abramoff that Rove had read an Abramoff memo about a political endorsement in the Mariana Islands governor's race, a little-noticed election but one important to Abramoff because he had lucrative clients there. Ralston reported to Abramoff that Rove had agreed, writing the next day: "You win :)."" (1, 2) -By Peter Baker and James V. Grimaldi

-WashingtonPost

Hastert

Foley

Shimkus

Boehner

Reynolds

Ill -

Fla -

Louisiana -

Ohio -

"Staffer Cites Earlier Role by Hastert's Office: Confrontation With [Florida Republican] Foley Detailed." ... "House Speaker [Illinois Republican] J. Dennis Hastert's chief of staff confronted then-Rep. Mark Foley about his inappropriate social contact with male pages well before the speaker said aides in his office took any action, a current congressional staff member with personal knowledge of Foley and his behavior with pages said yesterday." ... "The staff member said Hastert's chief of staff, Scott Palmer, met with the Florida Republican at the Capitol to discuss complaints about Foley's behavior toward pages. The alleged meeting occurred long before Hastert says aides in his office dispatched Rep. John M. Shimkus (R-Ill. [Republican-Illinois]) and the clerk of the House in November 2005 to confront Foley about troubling e-mails he had sent to a Louisiana boy." ... "The staff member's account buttresses the position of Foley's onetime chief of staff, Kirk Fordham, who said earlier this week that he had appealed to Palmer in 2003 or earlier to intervene, after Fordham's own efforts to stop Foley's behavior had failed. Fordham said Foley and Palmer, one of the most powerful figures in the House of Representatives, met within days to discuss the allegations." ... "Hastert maintains that he knew nothing of Foley's actions until last week, when the story first broke and Foley resigned. His stance contradicts that of House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Thomas M. Reynolds (R-N.Y.), both of whom said they had informed Hastert this spring." ... "Palmer, who shares a townhouse with Hastert when they are in town, is more powerful than all but a few House members. Members know that he speaks for Hastert." (1, 2) -By Jonathan Weisman with contributions by Jim VandeHei, Charles Babington, Dan Eggen, and Allan Lengel

-WashingtonPost

20061006

Foley -

E-Mail -

Politics -

Fla

"Watchdog Group Disputes FBI's Claims on E-Mails." ... "The watchdog group that first provided the FBI with suspicious e-mails from then-Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla. [Republican-Florida]) said yesterday that FBI and Justice Department officials are attempting to cover up their inaction in the case by making false claims about the group." ... "Law enforcement officials said the allegations by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) are without merit, and they stood by allegations that the group had refused to provide some information to the FBI." ... "CREW held a news conference Monday to announce that in July it had provided the FBI suspicious e-mails between Foley and a former House page. The group criticized the bureau for not taking more aggressive action and asked Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine to investigate the FBI's handling of the case." -By Dan Eggen

-WashingtonPost

20061005

Foley -

Teens -

Messages -

"Ex-Page Says He Got Messages From Foley." ... "A former congressional page said Thursday he received sexually suggestive messages from then-Rep. Mark Foley [Republican Florida] in 1997." ... "Tyson Vivyan's account appears to show the earliest exchange of suggestive messages reported so far between Foley and teens who had served in the Capitol page program. Previous accounts placed the earliest contacts in 2003." ... "Vivyan, 26, told The Associated Press that Foley began sending him instant messages about a month or two after his nine-month stint as a page ended in June 1997." -By Greg Bluestein

-AP via -SFGate.com

Foley -

Internet -

Communications -

E-Mail -

Messages -

Florida

"Three More Former Pages Accuse Foley of Online Sexual Approaches." ... "Three more former congressional pages have come forward to reveal what they call "sexual approaches" over the Internet from former [Florida Republican] Congressman Mark Foley." ... "The pages served in the classes of 1998, 2000 and 2002. They independently approached ABC News after the Foley resignation through the Brian Ross & the Investigative Team's tip line on ABCNews.com. None wanted their names used because of the sensitive nature of the communications." ... "All three pages described similar instant message and e-mail patterns, with remarkably similar escalations of provocative questions." ... ""This was no prank," said one of the three former pages who talked to ABC News today about his experience with the congressman." -By Brian Ross, Rhonda Schwartz, and Maddy Sauer

-ABCNEWS.com

Hastert -

Foley -

E-Mails -

Messages -

Teenage -

Election 2006 -

Mil -

IL -

"Under Siege in D.C., Hastert Is at Least Safe at Home." ... "After maintaining a rather low personal profile for most of his tenure as House Speaker, 10-term Illinois Republican Rep. J. Dennis Hastert is getting a dose of unwanted publicity, stemming from his handling of the scandal involving resigned Florida Republican Rep. Mark Foley’s inappropriate e-mails and instant messages to teenage male pages. The furor has put Hastert’s continued service as Speaker at serious jeopardy." ... "But — at least at this juncture, more than four weeks out from Election Day [2006] — Hastert’s continued hold on his seat in Illinois’ Republican-leaning 14th District appears far less at risk. CQPolitics.com, though carefully watching developments, is holding its rating on the race at Safe Republican." ... "That does not mean the Foley scandal is not of some potential benefit to Hastert’s longshot Democratic challenger, 32-year-old U.S. Navy veteran John Laesch. It has drawn the kind of attention to him and his bid to be a political “giant-killer” that the underfunded candidate certainly hasn’t been able to buy." ... "As of June 30, Laesch had raised a minuscule total of just more than $91,000 to Hastert’s roughly $3.6 million." ... "Laesch said he was motivated to enter the race because of his views against the war in Iraq. His brother, a sergeant in the U.S. Army, is currently serving in Baghdad."

-CQ.com via -NYTimes

20061004

Sherwood

Pennsylvania

2006 Election

Politics

Law

"Congressman apologizes for affair in TV ad: [Pennsylvania Republican] Rep. Don Sherwood, R-Pa. also denies abusing mistress." ... "Rep. Don Sherwood, a Republican fighting for [2006] re-election in northeastern Pennsylvania, says in a TV ad that he is "truly sorry" for cheating on his wife but denies ever abusing the woman he had the affair with." ... "Sherwood, a four-term congressman, has a seat that had been considered safe until it was revealed last year that police in 2004 investigated an incident between Sherwood and Cynthia Ore at his Washington apartment." ... "Charges were never filed, but Ore sued Sherwood, claiming he had choked her. Sherwood apologized for the affair but denied abusing Ore. The suit was settled for an undisclosed sum."

-AP via -MSNBC

Shimkus

Foley

Hastert

Teen

E-Mail

Photograph

Media

Illinois

Florida

Lawmakers

"Defiant Shimkus says he'll keep post." ... "[Illinois Republican] Rep. John Shimkus mounted an intense media offensive Wednesday, saying he has no intention of resigning from the House Page Board and angrily lashing out at the press and Democrats who have questioned him about his role investigating [Florida Republican] ex-Rep. Mark Foley's contact with former House pages." ... "Shimkus said he had no knowledge of and no comment on new reports that Foley's former chief of staff, Kirk Fordham, told House Speaker [Illinois Republican] Dennis Hastert's office three years ago that Foley had improper contact with House pages." ... "Shimkus, R-Collinsville, serves as head of the board that oversees the page program, and he has said he confronted Foley last year about a set of e-mails that Foley, R-Fla., sent to a former page. In a telephone interview Wednesday with the Post-Dispatch from his Collinsville office, he maintained his actions were sufficient." ... "The news that Fordham may have alerted the GOP leadership to Foley's conduct more than three years ago raised new questions about both Hastert's and Shimkus' role in the scandal. On Wednesday, Hastert's chief of staff said he had no such warning from Fordham." ... "And the two Illinois lawmakers said that they only knew about one set of e-mail messages, in which Foley asked a former page how he was doing, what he wanted for his birthday, and for a photograph of the teen." -By Deirdre Shesgreen

-SLTrib.com

Hastert -

Reynolds -

Foley -

Computer -

Messages -

Teenage -

Lawmaker -

Law Enforcement -

2006 Election -

IL -

NY -

"Aide says he told Hastert's office about Foley's conduct more than 3 years ago." ... "House Speaker [Illinois Republican] Dennis Hastert's political support showed signs of cracking on Wednesday as Republicans fled an election-year [2006] scandal spawned by steamy computer messages from former Rep. Mark Foley to teenage male pages." ... "At the same time, Foley's former chief of staff said in an Associated Press interview that he first warned Hastert's aides more than three years ago that Foley's behavior toward pages was troublesome. That was long before GOP leaders acknowledged learning of the problem." ... "Kirk Fordham, who was Foley's top aide until January 2004, said he had "more than one conversation with senior staff at the highest level of the House of Representatives asking them to intervene" several years ago." ... "Fordham resigned Wednesday as staff chief for another lawmaker caught up in the scandal, New York [Republican] Rep. Thomas Reynolds, the House GOP campaign chief who says he alerted Hastert to concerns about Foley last spring." ... "The Justice Department ordered House officials to "preserve all records" related to Foley's electronic correspondence with teenagers, and one law enforcement official said FBI agents have begun interviewing participants in the House page program." -By Devlin Barrett with contributions by Andrew Taylor, Lara Jakes Jordan, David Hammer, Laurie Kellman, Bruce Schreiner, and Marus Kabel

-AP via -STLtoday.com

Hastert -

Foley -

Alexander -

Teenage -

E-Mail -

Messages -

2006 Election -

Ill -

Fla -

"[Illinois Republican] Hastert clings to power as scandal swirls:Top Republicans question speaker's inaction on [Florida Republican] Foley sex messages." ... "House Speaker Dennis Hastert [Illinois Republican] was fighting for his political life Wednesday after new disclosures surfaced that his office knew that a Republican House member was sending sexually provocative messages to underage congressional pages as long as three years ago." ... "Pressure on Hastert has built since it was reported that an aide to Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La. [Republican-Louisiana], complained last year to Hastert's office about an "overly friendly" e-mail message that Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., had sent to a teenage male page sponsored by Alexander. Alexander said he did not ask for any specific action at the request of the boy's parents." ... "The scandal has reinvigorated the campaign of Hastert’s Democratic challenger in the November [2006] election, John Laesch, who said Hastert was “absolutely” guilty of a cover-up Wednesday." ... "Asked whether he believed Hastert was a man of integrity, Laesch told MSNBC-TV’s Chris Matthews: “I think that this issue has defined the clearest difference between myself and Mr. Hastert, that being I stand for honesty and integrity, and I’ll let the voters decide where he stands.”" ... "The scandal has energized his supporters, said Laesch, 32, a former naval intelligence officer. “Our phone has been ringing off the hook, and this is they only thing people want to talk about.”" (1, 2) -Contributed to by Alex Johnson, Chris Matthews, and Joe Scarborough

-AP -MSNBC

Hastert -

Foley -

Reynolds -

Children -

IL -

Fla -

"Hastert Was Warned About Foley Two Years Ago, GOP Aide Says." ... "Despite claims by senior [Republican] congressional aide Kirk Fordham that he notified House Speaker [Illinois Republican] Dennis Hastert's office more than two years ago about possible inappropriate contact between former [Florida Republican] Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., and underage congressional pages, the Speaker's office insists it did nothing wrong in the way it handled the investigation." ... ""That never happened," Hastert spokesman Ron Bonjean told ABC News." ... "But Fordham, who resigned as Foley's chief of staff to work for another member of the GOP leadership, Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y. [Republican-New York], said that as far back as 2003, Hastert's chief of staff, Scott Palmer, had been told that Foley was too friendly with pages. According to Fordham, Palmer spoke to Foley about the matter." (1, 2) -By Jake Tapper and John Yang

-ABCNEWS.com

20061003

Workers

Health

Industry

"Ruling Rewrites Labor Laws For Unions: Critics Charge Federal Panel Redefines Rules For Supervisors, Denies Protection To Millions Of Workers." ... "Health care industry workers permanently assigned as "charge nurses" should be considered supervisory and thus ineligible for union representation, a federal panel held Tuesday in a decision with sweeping implications for the broader labor force." ... "The National Labor Relations Board [NLRB], in a 3-2 ruling, also said people who work supervisory shifts only on a rotating basis may be exempt from supervisory status in some cases, but not others, depending on the frequency and consistency of the supervisory shifts." ... "The decision in the so-called "Kentucky River" cases was long-awaited by both organized labor and business." ... "AFL-CIO President John Sweeney immediately denounced it, saying the ruling invites employers "to strip millions of workers of their right to have a union by reclassifying them as 'supervisors' in name only."" ... "Sweeney said the NLRB is dominated by Bush administration lawyers. He also noted a dissenting view, which said the ruling "threatens to create a new class of workers under federal labor law: workers who have neither the genuine prerogatives of management, not the statutory rights of ordinary employees.""

-AP via -CBSNews

20061002

Government -

Military -

Terrorism -

Intelligence -

History -

Politics -

Reporting -

Book

"Records Show Tenet Briefed Rice on Al Qaeda Threat." ... "A review of White House records has determined that George J. Tenet, then the director of central intelligence, did brief Condoleezza Rice and other top officials on July 10, 2001, about the looming threat from Al Qaeda, a State Department spokesman said Monday." ... "The account by Sean McCormack came hours after Ms. Rice, the secretary of state, told reporters aboard her airplane that she did not recall the specific meeting on July 10, 2001, noting that she had met repeatedly with Mr. Tenet that summer about terrorist threats. Ms. Rice, the national security adviser at the time, said it was “incomprehensible” she ignored dire terrorist threats two months before the Sept. 11 attacks." ... "Mr. McCormack also said records show that the Sept. 11 commission was informed about the meeting, a fact that former intelligence officials and members of the commission confirmed on Monday." ... "When details of the meeting emerged last week in a new book by Bob Woodward of The Washington Post, Bush administration officials questioned Mr. Woodward’s reporting." ... "Now, after several days, both current and former Bush administration officials have confirmed parts of Mr. Woodward’s account." ... "Officials now agree that on July 10, 2001, Mr. Tenet and his counterterrorism deputy, J. Cofer Black, were so alarmed about an impending Al Qaeda attack that they demanded an emergency meeting at the White House with Ms. Rice and her National Security Council staff." ... "According to two former intelligence officials, Mr. Tenet told those assembled at the White House about the growing body of intelligence the Central Intelligence Agency had collected pointing to an impending Al Qaeda attack." -By Philip Shenon and Mark Mazzetti

-NYTimes

Government -

Military -

Terrorism -

Intelligence -

History -

Politics

"Rumsfeld, Ashcroft received warning of al Qaida attack before 9/11." ... "Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and former Attorney General John Ashcroft received the same CIA briefing about an imminent al-Qaida strike on an American target that was given to the White House two months before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks." ... "The State Department's disclosure Monday that the pair was briefed within a week after then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice was told about the threat on July 10, 2001, raised new questions about what the Bush administration did in response, and about why so many officials have claimed they never received or don't remember the warning." ... "One official who helped to prepare the briefing, which included a PowerPoint presentation, described it as a "10 on a scale of 1 to 10" that "connected the dots" in earlier intelligence reports to present a stark warning that al-Qaida, which had already killed Americans in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and East Africa, was poised to strike again." ... "Former CIA Director George Tenet gave the independent Sept. 11, 2001, commission the same briefing on Jan. 28, 2004, but the commission made no mention of the warning in its 428-page final report. According to three former senior intelligence officials, Tenet testified to commissioner Richard Ben-Veniste and to Philip Zelikow, the panel's executive director and the principal author of its report, who's now Rice's top adviser." ... "A new book by Bob Woodward of The Washington Post alleges that Rice failed to take the July 2001 warning seriously when it was delivered at a White House meeting by Tenet, Cofer Black, then the agency's chief of top counterterrorism, and a third CIA official whose identity remains protected." ... "Rice's deputy, Stephen J. Hadley, who became national security adviser after she became secretary of state, and Rice's top counterterrorism aide, Richard Clarke, also were present." -By Jonathan S. Landay, Warren P. Stroebel, and John Walcott with contributions by Matt Stearns and Drew Brown

-McClatchy via -RealCities

Secret -

Government -

Terrorism-

Intelligence -

Politics -

History

"9/11 Commission failed to disclose 'scary' briefing also given to White House." ... "The independent Sept. 11, 2001, commission was given the same “scary” briefing about an imminent al Qaida attack on a U.S. target that was presented to the White House two months before the attacks, but failed to disclose the warning in its 428-page report." ... "Former CIA Director George Tenet presented the briefing to commission member Richard Ben Veniste and executive director Philip Zelikow in secret testimony at CIA headquarters on Jan. 28, 2004, said three former senior agency officials." ... "Tenet raised the matter himself, displayed slides from a Power Point presentation that he and other officials had given to then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice on July 10, 2001, and offered to testify on the matter in public if the commission asked him to, they said." ... "Richard Clarke, who was the National Security Council's top counter-terrorism advisor, confirmed the former senior intelligence officials’ account. Clarke was present when Tenet briefed Rice, along with deputy national security adviser Steven Hadley, CIA counter-terrorism chief Cofer Black and another CIA officer whose identity remains protected." -By Jonathan S. Landay

-McClatchy via -RealCities

US -

Afghanistan -

Religious -

Military -

Government -

Bill Frist -

Tennessee -

Florida

"U.S. Senate majority leader calls for efforts to bring Taliban into Afghan government." ... "U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Monday [in Afghanistan] that the Afghan guerrilla war can never be won militarily and called for efforts to bring the Taliban and their supporters into the Afghan government." ... "The Tennessee Republican said he had learned from briefings that Taliban fighters were too numerous and had too much popular support to be defeated by military means." ... ""You need to bring them into a more transparent type of government," Frist said during a brief visit to a U.S. and Romanian military base in the southern Taliban stronghold of Qalat. "And if that's accomplished we'll be successful."" ... "Frist said asking the Taliban to join the government was a decision to be made by Afghan President Hamid Karzai." ... "Sen. Mel Martinez, a Republican from Florida accompanying Frist, said negotiating with the Taliban was not "out of the question" but that fighters who refused to join the political process would have to be defeated."

-APvia -IHT.com

Foley -

Hastert -

Cunningham -

DeLay -

Ney -

Children -

Lawmakers -

Politics -

2006 Election -

FL -

IL -

CA -

TX -

"FBI looks at [Florida Republican] Foley's e-mails to teens." ... "[Illinois Republican] House Speaker Dennis Hastert asked the Justice Department on Sunday to investigate former [Florida Republican] congressman Mark Foley's communications with teenage boys who worked as House pages." ... "Hastert has said he knew about non-sexual e-mails that Foley, 52, a Florida Republican, sent to a 16-year-old former page, first reported by ABC News on Thursday." ... "Foley is the fourth House Republican forced out by ethics problems. [Republican] Randy "Duke" Cunningham of California resigned in November after pleading guilty to accepting $2.4 million in bribes. Former majority leader [Republican] Tom DeLay of Texas was indicted on state campaign finance violations and resigned in June. [Republican] Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio has agreed to plead guilty to charges of corruption and is not seeking re-election [in 2006]." ... "House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi [from California] called on the House ethics committee Sunday to question GOP leaders under oath. "They chose to cover it up rather than to protect these children," she said." -By Richard Wolf and Kevin Johnson with contributions by Kathy Kiely, Jill Lawrence, Matt Kelley, and Wendy Koc

-USATODAY

20061001

Reynolds -

Hastert -

Foley -

Boehner -

E-Mails -

Louisiana -

Teen -

Noteworthy -

Lawmakers -

Enforcement -

Secrets -

2006 Election -

NY -

Ill -

Fla -

Ohio -

Mich

"GOP Leader Rebuts Hastert on Foley: [New York Republican Thomas] Reynolds: Speaker Knew of E-Mails in Spring." ... "House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert ([Republican, Illnois] R-Ill.) was notified early this year of inappropriate e-mails from former representative Mark Foley ([Republican, Florida] R-Fla.) to a 16-year-old page, a top GOP House member said yesterday -- contradicting the speaker's assertions that he learned of concerns about Foley only last week." ... "Hastert did not dispute the claims of Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds (R-N.Y.), and his office confirmed that some of Hastert's top aides knew last year that Foley had been ordered to cease contact with the boy and to treat all pages respectfully." ... "Reynolds, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, became the second senior House Republican to say that Hastert has known of Foley's contacts for months, prompting Democratic attacks about the GOP leadership's inaction. Foley abruptly resigned his seat Friday." ... "House Majority Leader John A. Boehner ([Republican] R-Ohio) told The Washington Post on Friday that he had learned in late spring of inappropriate e-mails Foley sent to the page, a boy from Louisiana, and that he promptly told Hastert, who appeared to know already of the concerns. Hours later, Boehner contacted The Post to say he could not be sure he had spoken with Hastert." ... "Yesterday's developments revealed a rift at the highest echelons of House Republican ranks a month before the Nov. 7 [2006] elections, and they threatened to expand the scandal to a full-blown party dilemma." ... "Republicans appeared to have kept the matter under wraps. Rep. Dale E. Kildee (Mich.), the only Democrat on the House Page Board, said yesterday: "I was never informed of the allegations about Mr. Foley's inappropriate communications with a House page, and I was never involved in any inquiry into this matter."" (1, 2) -By Jonathan Weisman and Charles Babington with contributions by R. Jeffrey Smith and Magda Jean-Louis

-WashingtonPost

Mark Foley -

Secret -

E-Mails -

IMs -

Lawmakers-

Dennis Hastert -

Thomas Reynolds -

New York -

Illinois -

California -

Florida

"Dems Slap GOP for Keeping E-Mails Secret: Democrats Slap Republicans for Keeping E-Mail Scandal a Secret, Demand Thorough Probe." ... "House Republican leaders should have kept Democrats in the loop and now must conduct a thorough investigation about the inappropriate e-mails that led to [Florida Republican] Rep. Mark Foley's resignation, a top Democrat said Sunday." ... ""This should be investigated objectively. I think the Democratic leadership should have been told 10 months ago," said Rep. Jane Harman of California, top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. "I gather that basically nothing was done except that Foley was warned."" ... "Foley, R-Fla., quit Congress on Friday after the disclosure of the e-mails to a teenage boy who was a former congressional page and the lawmaker's sexually suggestive instant messages to other pages." ... "House Speaker [Illinois Republican] Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said at first he had learned only last week about the e-mails Foley sent to a page. Hastert later acknowledged that aides referred the matter to the authorities last fall." ... "[New York Republican] Rep. Thomas Reynolds, head of the House Republican election effort, said Saturday he told Hastert months ago about concerns Foley sent inappropriate messages to a teenage boy. Reynolds, R-N.Y., is under attack from Democrats who say he did too little to protect the boy." (1, 2) -By John Heilprin

-AP via -ABCNEWS.com

Mark Foley -

Computer -

E-Mail -

Messages -

Laws -

Children -

Politics -

Dennis Hastert -

Ill -

Fla-

Nev -

Calif -

"FBI looking into Foley computer exchanges." ... "The FBI is looking at whether former Florida [Republican] Rep. Mark Foley's computer exchanges with underage House pages broke any laws, an FBI spokesman said late Sunday." ... "Under fire from Democrats, House Speaker Dennis Hastert [Illinois Republican] also asked Sunday that [Republican] U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales - and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement - look into the case." ... "Foley, a Florida Republican, gave no reason for leaving but said he was "deeply sorry" and resigned Friday after the subsequent, sexually explicit instant messages were disclosed by ABC News." ... "Earlier Sunday, Democrats in both chambers, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, called for investigations." ... "Hastert's office said Saturday his office was contacted last fall by a staff member in the office of Louisiana Republican Rep. Rodney Alexander, where the page once worked. The boy said in an e-mail to Alexander's office that the computer exchange with Foley "freaked him out" and was "sick..sick..sick."" -By Lesley Clark

-McClatchy via -MercuryNews

Secret -

Mark Foley -

Internet -

Messages -

Florida -

Lawmaker

"Foley's Behavior No Secret on Capitol Hill: A GOP staff member told congressional pages to watch out for former Congressman Foley." ... "It turns out Foley's obsession with 16- and 17-year-old male pages has been known to Republicans on Capitol Hill for at least five years." ... "But other than issue a warning, little else seems to have been done about the congressman." ... "A former page has come forward to tell ABC News warnings were issued about Foley to the pages in 2001." ... "ABC News has obtained Internet messages sent by Foley to three different pages after that warning." ... "Two of them were sent to pages in the 2001-2002 class, with sexually explicit messages, most too graphic to be broadcast, from Foley using the screen name Maf54." ... "Former pages tell ABC News the pages involved with Foley were afraid to offend the powerful Republican congressman." -By Brian Ross

-ABCNEWS.com

School -

Children -

Internet -

Messaging -

Law -

Politics -

Foley -

Florida

"FBI Opens "Preliminary Investigation" of Foley." ... "The FBI has opened a "preliminary investigation" of disgraced former [Florida Republican] Congressman Mark Foley over the sexually explicit Internet messages he sent to congressional pages, all male high school students under the age of 18." ... "It's possible Foley could be prosecuted under laws he helped to enact, as the co-chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children." -By Brian Ross

-ABCNEWS.com

Children-

Enforcement -

Politics -

Mark Foley -

History -

Florida

"GOP Staff Warned Pages About Foley in 2001." ... "A Republican staff member warned congressional pages five years ago to watch out for [Florida Republican] Congressman Mark Foley, according to a former page." ... "Matthew Loraditch, a page in the 2001-2002 class, told ABC News he and other pages were warned about Foley by a supervisor in the House Clerk's office." ... "Loraditch says that some of the pages who "interacted" with Foley were hesitant to report his behavior because "members of Congress, they've got the power." Many of the pages were hoping for careers in politics and feared Foley might seek retribution." -By Maddy Sauer and Anna Schecter

-ABCNEWS.com

Secret -

Children -

Crime -

Politics -

Mark Foley -

Florida -

John Boehner -

Ohio -

La -

NY -

Ill -

Ala -

2006 Election

"G.O.P. Aides Knew in Late ’05 of E-Mail." ... "Top House Republicans knew for months about e-mail traffic between [Florida Republican] Representative Mark Foley and a former teenage page, but kept the matter secret and allowed Mr. Foley to remain head of a Congressional caucus on children’s issues, Republican lawmakers said Saturday." ... "Among those who became aware earlier this year of the fall 2005 communications between Mr. Foley and the 16-year-old page, who worked for Representative Rodney Alexander, Republican of Louisiana, were [Ohio Republican] Representative John A. Boehner, the majority leader, and [New York Republican] Representative Thomas M. Reynolds of New York, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Mr. Reynolds said in a statement Saturday that he had also personally raised the issue with Speaker J. Dennis Hastert [Illinois Republican]." ... "Democrats moved quickly to criticize Mr. Reynolds, who while overseeing House campaigns nationally is facing the potential of a serious [2006 Election] challenge from Jack Davis, a wealthy businessman who has vowed to spend at least $2 million of his own money in the contest. “Tom Reynolds had a moral obligation to protect our children,” said Curtis Ellis, a spokesman for Mr. Davis." ... "At the Justice Department, an official said that no investigation was under way but that the agency had “real interest” in examining the circumstances to see if any crimes were committed." ... "Several of Mr. Foley’s former colleagues demanded a criminal inquiry." ... "Representative Robert E. Cramer, an Alabama Democrat who was co-chairman with Mr. Foley of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, condemned Mr. Foley’s actions as “shocking and disturbing.”" ... "“Anyone, including Foley, involved in this type of behavior should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Mr. Cramer said." (1, 2) -By Carl Hulse and Raymond Hernandez with contributions by Kate Zernike, David Johnston, and Abby Goodnough

-NYTimes

20060930

Mark Foley -

Florida -

NY -

Ill

"Reynolds Informed Hastert of Allegations Against Foley." ... "National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Reynolds (N.Y.) issued a statement Saturday in which he said that he had informed Speaker [Illinois Republican] Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) of allegations of improper contacts between then-[Florida Republican] Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) and at least one former male page, contradicting earlier statements from Hastert." -By John Bresnahan

-RollCall.com

Mark Foley

Florida

John Boehner

Ohio

Ill

Calif

"Rep. Foley Quits In Page Scandal: Explicit Online Notes Sent to Boy, 16." ... "Six-term [Florida Republican] Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) resigned yesterday amid reports that he had sent sexually explicit Internet messages to at least one underage male former page." ... "The resignation rocked the Capitol, and especially Foley's GOP colleagues, as lawmakers were rushing to adjourn for at least six weeks. House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) told The Washington Post last night that he had learned this spring of some "contact" between Foley and a 16-year-old page. Boehner said he told House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), and that Hastert assured him "we're taking care of it."" ... "It was not immediately clear what actions Hastert took. His spokesman had said earlier that the speaker did not know of the sexually charged online exchanges between Foley and the boy." ... "House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) took the House floor last night to demand an investigation into the Foley matter. But Boehner headed her off, calling on the House to refer the matter to the ethics committee, which the House promptly voted unanimously to do." (1, 2) -By Charles Babington and Jonathan Weisman with contributions by Lucy Shackelford and Zachary A. Goldfarb

-WashingtonPost

20060929

Military -

Terrorism-

Intelligence -

Torture -

Death Penalty -

Human Rights -

War Crimes -

Law -

Politics

"Many Rights in U.S. Legal System Absent in New Bill." ... "Included in the bill, passed by Republican majorities in the Senate yesterday and the House on Wednesday, are unique rules that bar terrorism suspects from challenging their detention or treatment through traditional habeas corpus petitions. They allow prosecutors, under certain conditions, to use evidence collected through hearsay or coercion to seek criminal convictions." ... "The bill rejects the right to a speedy trial and limits the traditional right to self-representation by requiring that defendants accept military defense attorneys. Panels of military officers need not reach unanimous agreement to win convictions, except in death penalty cases, and appeals must go through a second military panel before reaching a federal civilian court." ... "By writing into law for the first time the definition of an "unlawful enemy combatant," the bill empowers the executive branch to detain indefinitely anyone it determines to have "purposefully and materially" supported anti-U.S. hostilities. Only foreign nationals among those detainees can be tried by the military commissions, as they are known, and sentenced to decades in jail or put to death." ... "At the same time, the bill immunizes U.S. officials from prosecution for cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment of detainees who the military and the CIA captured before the end of last year. It gives the president a dominant but not exclusive role in setting the rules for future interrogations of terrorism suspects." ... "But Tom Malinowski, the Washington office director for Human Rights Watch, said Bush's motivation is partly to protect his reputation by gaining congressional endorsement of controversial actions already taken. "He's been accused of authorizing criminal torture in a way that has hurt America and could come back to haunt our troops. One of his purposes is to have Congress stand with him in the dock," Malinowski said." -By R. Jeffrey Smith

-WashingtonPost

Noteworthy -

US -

Iraq -

Political -

Intelligence -

History -

Book

"Book Says Bush Ignored Urgent Warning on Iraq." ... "The White House ignored an urgent warning in September 2003 from a top Iraq adviser who said that thousands of additional American troops were desperately needed to quell the insurgency there, according to a new book by Bob Woodward, the Washington Post reporter and author. The book describes a White House riven by dysfunction and division over the war." ... "The warning is described in “State of Denial,” scheduled for publication on Monday by Simon & Schuster. The book says President Bush’s top advisers were often at odds among themselves, and sometimes were barely on speaking terms, but shared a tendency to dismiss as too pessimistic assessments from American commanders and others about the situation in Iraq." ... "As late as November 2003, Mr. Bush is quoted as saying of the situation in Iraq: “I don’t want anyone in the cabinet to say it is an insurgency. I don’t think we are there yet.”" ... "Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld is described as disengaged from the nuts-and-bolts of occupying and reconstructing Iraq — a task that was initially supposed to be under the direction of the Pentagon — and so hostile toward Condoleezza Rice, then the national security adviser, that President Bush had to tell him to return her phone calls. The American commander for the Middle East, Gen. John P. Abizaid, is reported to have told visitors to his headquarters in Qatar in the fall of 2005 that “Rumsfeld doesn’t have any credibility anymore” to make a public case for the American strategy for victory in Iraq." ... "Robert D. Blackwill, then the top Iraq adviser on the National Security Council, is said to have issued his warning about the need for more troops in a lengthy memorandum sent to Ms. Rice. The book says Mr. Blackwill’s memorandum concluded that more ground troops, perhaps as many as 40,000, were desperately needed." ... "It says that Mr. Blackwill and L. Paul Bremer III, then the top American official in Iraq, later briefed Ms. Rice and Stephen J. Hadley, her deputy, about the pressing need for more troops during a secure teleconference from Iraq. It says the White House did nothing in response." (1, 2) -By David E. Sanger with contributions by Mark Mazzetti, David Johnston, and Julie Bosman

-NYTimes

Mark Foley -

Florida -

John Boehner -

Ohio -

NY -

Ill -

Mich -

Calif

"Foley Interviewed About Page Last Year; Democrats Not Told: Ethics Inquiry Ordered." ... "[Florida Republican] Ex-Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), who resigned Friday after reports of his improper communications with a former male House page were made public, was interviewed about some of those contacts by the chairman of the House Page Board and the then-Clerk of the House last year." ... "At least four Republican House Members, one senior GOP aide and a former top officer of the House were aware of the allegations about Foley that prompted the initial reporting regarding his e-mail contacts with a 16-year-old House page. They include: Majority Leader [Ohio Republican] John Boehner (R-Ohio), National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman [New York Republican] Tom Reynolds (N.Y.) and Reps. [Louisiana Republican] Rodney Alexander (R-La.) and [Illinois Republican] John Shimkus (R-Ill.), as well as a senior aide to Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and former Clerk of the House Jeff Trandahl." ... "[Michigan Democrat] Rep. Dale Kildee (D-Mich.), who serves on the page board, was never told of the interview with Foley." ... ""I became aware of it this afternoon when [Shimkus] came by my office. I think we should have had a page meeting right away," Kildee said, referring to last year's discovery of Foley's e-mails." ... "When asked if was upset about being excluded, Kildee said yes, adding, "I've been on the page board for 20 years."" ... ""I'm the chairman of the page board," Shimkus said when asked why he didn't include Kildee. "The Clerk and I addressed this issue."" ... "House Minority Leader [California Democrat] Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who introduced a privileged resolution friday night to require an ethics probe, criticized Republican leaders, who she said, "have known of the egregious behavior of Congressman Mark Foley, yet were prepared to adjourn tonight without an Ethics Committee investigation."" ... ""The investigation must determine when Mr. Foley sent the inappropriate emails, who knew of them, whether there was a pattern of inappropriate activity by Mr. Foley with pages or former pages, when the Republican leadership was notified, and what corrective action was taken once officials learned of any improper activity," she added." -By John Bresnahan and Susan Davis

-RollCall.com

Mark Foley -

Gay -

Children -

Politics -

Florida

"Reaction to Rep. Mark Foley's resignation." ... "• Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force: ``This type of behavior is what I try to protect my grandchildren from. It is unacceptable. He should have resigned. Members of Congress are responsible for protecting the most vulnerable among us -- our children. I support the Speaker's decision to investigate the Page Program.''" ... "• Gov. Jeb Bush on ABC WPLG television in South Florida: ``As somebody who has met Mark Foley personally and has mutual friends, I am sad for Mark and I hope he doesn't go to jail. The last time I saw Mark, he was 19 years into a relationship. That was sad that it had to be hidden. I hope the Republican Party continues to evolve so it's not so difficult to be an openly gay Republican. Will this play into the fears that all gay people are pedophiles? I hope not. There are heterosexual situations as well. Everybody decries this kind of situation. Even Mark Foley did, but he couldn't control it.''"

-Miami/Herald

Mark Foley -

Florida -

Children -

Enforcement -

Politics -

"Florida Republican Foley Resigns From U.S. House Seat (Update2)." ... "[Republican] Representative Mark Foley, a Florida Republican, resigned his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives today after ABC News queried him about sexually explicit messages with underage congressional pages." ... "ABC News today said the network had read excerpts of instant messages provided by former pages who said Foley made references to sexual organs and acts." ... "[Speaker of the House, Illinois Republican Dennis] Hastert said he had asked the head of the page board, Illinois Republican John Shimkus, ``to look into this issue regarding Congressman Foley. We want to make sure that all our pages are safe and the page system is safe.''" ... "Foley was a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and co-chairman of the House's Missing and Exploited Children Caucus." -By Nicholas Johnston and Brian Faler

-Bloomberg

Mark Foley -

Internet -

Messages -

Children -

Mental Health -

Enforcement -

Politics -

Fla

"Exclusive: The Sexually Explicit Internet Messages That Led to [Republican] Fla. Rep. Foley's Resignation." ... "Florida Rep. Mark Foley's resignation came just hours after ABC News questioned the congressman about a series of sexually explicit instant messages involving congressional pages, high school students who are under 18 years of age." ... "In Congress, Rep. Foley (R-FL) was part of the Republican leadership and the chairman of the House caucus on missing and exploited children." ... "He crusaded for tough laws against those who used the Internet for sexual exploitation of children." ... ""They're sick people; they need mental health counseling," Foley said." ... "But, according to several former congressional pages, the congressman used the Internet to engage in sexually explicit exchanges." ... "They say he used the screen name Maf54 on these messages provided to ABC News."

Maf54: You in your boxers, too?
Teen: Nope, just got home. I had a college interview that went late.
Maf54: Well, strip down and get relaxed.
Another message:
Maf54: What ya wearing?
Teen: tshirt and shorts
Maf54: Love to slip them off of you.
And this one:
Maf54: Do I make you a little horny?
Teen: A little.
Maf54: Cool.

"The language gets much more graphic, too graphic to be broadcast, and at one point the congressman appears to be describing Internet sex." ... "One former page tells ABC News that his class was warned about Foley by people involved in the program." ... "Other pages told ABC News they were hesitant to report Foley because of his power in Congress." -By Brian Ross, Rhonda Schwartz, and Maddy Sauer

-ABCNEWS.com

Mark Foley -

E-Mails -

Florida -

Parents -

Enforcement -

Politics -

2006 Election -

La -

NY -

Ill

"[Republican] Foley Resigns From Congress Over E-Mails." ... "[Republican] Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., abruptly resigned from Congress on Friday in the wake of questions about e-mails he wrote a former teenage male page." ... "His departure sent Republicans scrambling for a replacement candidate less than six weeks before midterm [2006] elections in which Democrats are making a strong bid to gain control of the House." ... "Foley, 52, had been a shoo-in for a new term until the e-mail correspondence surfaced in recent days." ... "[Louisiana Republican] Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La., who sponsored the page from his district, told reporters that he learned of the e-mails from a reporter some months ago and passed on the information to [New York Republican] Rep. Thomas Reynolds, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Republican campaign organization." ... "Carl Forti, a spokesman for the GOP campaign organization, said Reynolds learned from Alexander that the parents did not want to pursue the matter. Forti said, however, that the matter did go before the House Page Board — the three lawmakers and two House officials who oversee the pages." ... "It was unclear what the officials did." ... "The board currently is headed by [Illinois Republican] Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., who did not respond to requests for an interview." -By David Espo and Jim Kuhnhenn with contributions by Brendan Farrington, Larry Margasak, and Natasha Metzler

-AP via -SFGate.com

Mark Foley -