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US Elections |
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American author Mark Twain once remarked about the US: " We have the best government that money can buy." |
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WASHINGTON - The Center for Responsive Politics calculates that the money spent on congressional and presidential races this year will come close to $6B dollars. (Digital Journal) MORE: US presidential election 2012 Pro Publica: Dark money Campaign 2012
WASHINGTON - A CBS 60 Minutes report found several representatives and senators, including senior figures on both sides of the political divide, had made trades shortly after receiving information not available to the public. (BBC)
WASHINGTON - The Republican and Democratic leaders of a 12-member congressional "super committee" are set to declare defeat in a joint statement to be released after three months of talks failed to bridge deep divides over taxes and spending. (IBT) MORE: Terrible swift sword Budget Control Act of 2011 The Hollow Men
WASHINGTON - One of the fiercest attacks involves a little-noticed provision requiring that companies disclose the ratio between the average pay of all employees and that of the CEO. This ratio, as it happens, all but defines the pathology of income inequality in the US; over the last 30 years, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and elsewhere (.pdf), it has ballooned from 42-to-1 to more than 300-to-1. In the same period, according to data compiled by economist Emmanuel Saez of UC Berkeley, the richest 10% of US income earners captured 98% of all income growth, and the other 90% got 2%. (LA Times) RELATED: Golden decade ending
WASHINGTON - Rep. Christopher Lee, a second-term Republican lawmaker representing western New York, abruptly resigned Wednesday after flirtatious e-mails, including a photo of him shirtless, were posted online by a gossip website. (LA Times) MORE: Pol was warned to 'knock it off' Chris Lee
ALBANY - Gov. Cuomo condemned the entire state budget process as a scam ginned up by special interests that added as much as $9B to the deficit before anyone - the governor included - laid a hand on the upcoming spending plan. (NY Post) MORE: 'Deficit' deceit
WASHINGTON - New York Rep. Charles Rangel temporarily stepped aside as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee as he struggled with mounting ethics woes that left his political future uncertain at best. (AP) MORE: Rangel broke ethics rules 'Resignation is accepted' Firms with business before panel solicited Rangel will give up 1 rent-stabilized apartment Apartment bargain
WASHINGTON - More than $98B in taxpayer dollars spent by government agencies was wasted, much of it on questionable claims for tax credits and Medicare benefits, representing an increase of $26B from the previous year. (AP)
Ethics inquiry looking at panel WASHINGTON - The appropriations subcommittee on defense has been under scrutiny since federal agents raided the now-defunct lobbying firm PMA Group late last year. (LA Times) MORE: CREW statement Congressional ethics report leaked US House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct
Spotlight on politicians' perks SACRAMENTO - For many who join the select club of 120 known as the California Legislature, everything changes. Once inside, they find an army of lobbyists and corporate executives at their disposal, more than eager to shower them with food, drink, travel and - in some cases – sex. (LA Times)
WASHINGTON - The good-government group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), have filed a lawsuit to force President Obama's Administration to share White House visitors logs with the public. (ABC) MORE: So much for transparency
'Signing statements' WASHINGTON - The Bush administration sometimes fails to follow all provisions of laws after President Bush attaches "signing statements" meant to interpret or restrict the legislation, congressional examiners say. PREVIOUS: Presidential Signing Statements accompanying the Fiscal Year 2006 Appropriations Acts Presidential Signing Statements Signing statements |
US Congress cannot operate without bribes WASHINGTON - After years of federal taxpayer dollars being misappropriated to pay for pet projects in the districts of congressmen and senators looking to curry political favor with the voters back home, a moratorium was passed in 2011 ending the Congressional pork parade known as “earmarking”. (Forbes) MORE: Lettermarking 2012 defined by legislative gridlock in US
WASHINGTON - The EPA, Congress, activists, the courts and power companies themselves all share the blame for the chaotic nature of environmental regulation in America. (Economist) MORE: Over-regulated America Too big not to fail
Value of lobbyists and lawmakers WASHINGTON - A New York Times report found evidence of US firms trading legally with blacklisted countries such as Iran. Loopholes and exemptions were exploited in a trade worth billions of dollars. Most exemptions are inserted into sanctions legislation by individual members of Congress acting in the interests of a particular state or industry, he said. (BBC)
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department is investigating whether former Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton illegally used her position to benefit Royal Dutch Shell PLC, the company that later hired her, according to officials in federal law enforcement and the Interior Department. (LA Times)
How to run a successful business WASHINGTON - Last year, Murtech received $4M in Pentagon work, all of it without competition, for a variety of warehousing and engineering services. Robert C. Murtha Jr., 49, is the nephew of Rep. John Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who has significant sway over the Defense Department's spending as chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee. (Washington Post)
BOSTON - Sen. Dianne Wilkerson stood alone and soberly attired in federal court after being charged with accepting $23,500 in bribes - including $10,000 to fund her write-in campaign. (AP)
Congress passes $634B interim spending bill WASHINGTON - Automakers gained $25B in taxpayer-subsidized loans and oil companies won elimination of a long-standing ban on drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as the Senate passed a sprawling spending bill. (AP) MORE: Current state of 'science' White House skewed drilling-ban report
Lobbying firm working to undermine Iraqi PM CRAWFORD, Texas - A powerhouse Republican lobbying firm with close ties to the White House has begun a public campaign to undermine the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. A senior Bush administration official told CNN the White House is aware of the lobbying campaign by Barbour Griffith & Rogers because the firm is "blasting e-mails all over town" criticizing al-Maliki and promoting the firm's client, former interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, as an alternative to al-Maliki. (CNN) PREVIOUS: US report see precarious Iraqi government
Diebold Election Systems Inc. voting machines are not secure enough to guarantee a trustworthy election, and an attacker with access to a single machine could disrupt or change the outcome of an election using viruses, according to a review of Diebold's source code. (IDG)
WASHINGTON - Something revolutionary occurred Thursday in Washington: A major piece of legislation with bipartisan backing and the strong support of the president failed to pass the Senate. The bill runs more than 400 pages. In its many sections are many innovations and many revisions of existing law. For almost any lay person outside of government, it might as well be written in Urdu - so indecipherable is the drafting language. That is by design. (NY Post)
WASHINGTON - Invading Canada won't be like invading Iraq: When we invade Canada, nobody will be able to grumble that we didn't have a plan. (Washington Post)
WASHINGTON - Though they worked behind the scenes in Barack Obama's campaign for president, bundlers who raised millions of dollars for his White House bid are starting to land significant posts on his transition team. (Washington Post) MORE: Post-election lobby boom |
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WASHINGTON - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales approved plans to fire several US attorneys in a November meeting, according to documents released. (AP) MORE: Six strikes and you’re out US AG apologies over how prosecutors were fired White House subpoena showdown goes to Senate 'Showdown' really a battle of partisan buffoons White House Ok'd mass US attorney firing |
Federal agents raid office of Special Counsel WASHINGTON - Agents fanned out yesterday morning in the agency's building on M Street, where they sequestered Office of Special Counsel chief Scott J. Bloch for questioning, served grand-jury subpoenas on 17 employees and shut down access to computer networks in a search lasting more than five hours. (Washington Post) |
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WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama says he will return to the White House "more determined and inspired than ever" after defeating Republican rival Mitt Romney and winning a second term as president. (CBC) |
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WASHINGTON - The congressional legislation intended to defund ACORN, passed with broad bipartisan support, is written so broadly that it applies to "any organization" that has been charged with breaking federal or state election laws, lobbying disclosure laws, campaign finance laws or filing fraudulent paperwork with any federal or state agency. (Huffington Post) |
Federal contractor misconduct database |
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WASHINGTON - Rory Reid, is the primary representative for ENN Energy Group, a Chinese energy company seeking to build a $5B solar panel plant on a 9,000-acre Clark County desert plot in Laughlin, Nevada. (Breitbart) |
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44th President of the US elected Barack Obama, a 47-year-old first-term senator from Illinois, shattered more than 200 years of history Tuesday night by winning election as the first African-American President of the United States. (MSNBC) PREVIOUS: Democrats score Congress win US voters hit the polls in huge numbers CNN: Election 2008 Fox: America's Decision |
WASHINGTON - A moratorium on the insertion of pork-barrel projects into spending bills has slashed the amount of money for such earmarks by more than half. Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) reports $13.2 billion in pork-barrel spending for the current fiscal year, down from $29 billion in 2006. (Christian Science Monitor) |
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Nonprofit connects Murtha, lobbyists WASHINGTON, DC - For a quarter of a century, Carmen Scialabba labored for Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), helping parcel out the billions of dollars that came through the House Appropriations Committee, so when the disabled aide needed a favor, Murtha was there. (Washington Post) |
WASHINGTON - In a political victory for the Obama administration and a surprising defeat for some lawmakers in both parties, the Senate voted to halt further production of the Air Force's F-22 Raptor fighter jets. (Chicago Tribune) MORE: F-22 armored in pork: can't fly, won’t die Cash flows to health-reform senators |
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Bush commutes Libby's sentence WASHINGTON - President Bush on Monday spared I Lewis "Scooter" Libby from prison, commuting the former White House aide's 30-month prison term. The prison time was imposed after a federal court convicted Libby of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators in the probe of the leak of the name of a CIA operative. (CNN) MORE: Commutation fits pattern set by predecessors |
FBI to examine Foley's e-mails WASHINGTON, DC - The FBI announced last night that it is looking into whether former representative Mark Foley (R-Fla.) broke federal law by sending inappropriate e-mails and instant messages to teenage House pages. (Washington Post) PREVIOUS: Ex-page says he saw suggestive e-mails Foley checks into alcohol rehab Congressman quits over e-mails to teen |
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Fundraiser gets 18 years in prison TOLEDO, Ohio - Thomas Noe, a prominent coin dealer accused of taking at least $2 million, was convicted last week of theft, corrupt activity, money laundering, forgery and tampering with records. (AP) PREVIOUS: Noe refused 10-year term in plea deal |
FBI investigating actions of Specter staff member WASHINGTON - The FBI is investigating whether a member of Sen. Arlen Specter's staff broke the law by helping her husband, a lobbyist, secure almost $50 million in Pentagon spending for his clients, the senator acknowledged Tuesday. (USA Today) |
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WASHINGTON - The Justice Department is dropping all charges against former Sen. Ted Stevens, the 85-year-old Alaska Republican convicted of lying on Senate financial disclosure forms to conceal hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts and home renovations from a businessman. (LA Times) |
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Adams's data show that the values rift between Republicans and Democrats is negligible when compared with the gulf between politically engaged citizens (of either party) and the nearly half of Americans who are politically disaffected. (Tyee) |
Judge sentences ex-Bush official to prison WASHINGTON - David Safavian, the former chief of staff for the General Service Administration, was sentenced on obstruction and concealment charges for lying to investigators about his relationship with Abramoff. (AP) |
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Nonprofit groups funnelled Abramoff funds WASHINGTON - Newly released documents in the Jack Abramoff investigation shed light on how the lobbyist secretly routed his clients' funds through tax-exempt organizations with the acquiescence of those in charge. (Washington Post) Jack Abramoff |
New guilty plea in lobbyist scandal |
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Sen. Frist’s charity records raise questions WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's AIDS charity paid nearly a half-million dollars in consulting fees to members of his political inner circle, according to tax returns providing the first financial accounting of the presidential hopeful's nonprofit. (MSNBC) |
Kentucky governor indicted over hiring practices Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher was indicted Thursday on misdemeanor charges that he directed a scheme to illegally award state jobs to political supporters, the latest twist in a year-long probe into hiring practices in his administration. (CNN) |
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WASHINGTON - Former Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.), who gained national attention after federal agents found $90,000 in his freezer, was convicted of political corruption. (LA Times) |
House approves speedy Jefferson ethics probe 'Cold Cash' Jefferson indicted |
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Ney pleads guilty in Abramoff case WASHINGTON - The Jack Abramoff influence-peddling investigation claims its first member of Congress with Rep. Bob Ney set to plead guilty Friday to taking bribes. Despite his admission of criminal activity, Ney, 52, is entitled to collect a congressional pension. (CBS/AP) |
Former deputy Interior secretary pleads guilty Report says nonprofits sold clout to Abramoff Investigation of Jack Abramoff's use of tax-exempt organizations .pdf |
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Ex-congressman begins prison sentence SAN DIEGO - Former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham began his first day in prison after being sentenced to eight years and four months for taking $2.4 million in homes, yachts and other bribes in a corruption scheme unmatched in the annals of Congress. (AP) |
Corrupt congressman's loot to be auctioned off How Local Politics Works in America |
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AUSTIN - Former US House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, once one of the most powerful politicians in Texas and Washington, was sentenced to 3 years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering. (WSJ) |
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