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HavenWorks.com/alaska Alaska News |
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Alaska News, Alaska State News, Alaska capital: Juneau, AK News |
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Alaska capital: Juneau  US
Capitals
AK: Alaska State
Abbr.
Alaska Population, 2006 estimate: 670,053 Alaska Population, 2000 Census: 626,932 Geography Alaska Land area: 571,951.26 (square miles) ~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
 Alaska
capital: Juneau
ALASKA News: Sarah
Palin
Sarah
Palin -  John
McCain -  Financial
- Crisis
-  Politics
-  Government
-  Law
- Alaska
- 2008
Election
"Palin: US could face another Great Depression." ... "[2008 Election] Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said Wednesday that the United States could be headed for another Great Depression if Congress doesn't act on the financial crisis." ... "Asked whether there's a risk of another Great Depression if Congress doesn't approve a $700 billion bailout package, Palin said, "Unfortunately, that is the road that America may find itself on."" ... "Couric pressed Palin on examples of how McCain, a 26-year congressional veteran, had led the charge for more oversight." ... "The Alaska governor cited [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain's warnings about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac two years ago as well as image as a maverick. Questioned again for examples, and reminded that McCain had been chairman of the Commerce Committee, Palin said, "I'll try to find you some and I'll bring them to you."" ... "McCain has insisted Palin is ready to take over as president, but he made no mention of including her in the meetings he wants in Washington to deal with the financial crisis." -By Sara Kugler -AP via -Yahoo 
John
McCain - Sarah
Palin -  Media
- Politics
-  Commentary
- Alaska
- 2008
Election
"Campbell Brown Rips McCain Camp's "Sexist" Treatment Of Palin." ... "A prominent female news anchor chastised the [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain campaign Tuesday evening for engaging in sexism and insulting behavior in its attempt to shield [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Alaska Governor] Gov. Sarah Palin from members of the press." ... "In a fiery commentary, Campbell Brown laid into John McCain for casting a "chauvinistic chain" that ran over his running mate. Punctuated by a call to "Free Sarah Palin," the CNN anchor highlighted the attempt Tuesday by the McCain campaign to ban editorial reporters from covering Palin's visit with world leaders at the UN, as yet another gender-demeaning move in a campaign highlighted by sexist behavior." ... ""[Campbell Brown:] "Tonight I call on the McCain campaign to stop treating Sarah Palin like she is a delicate flower that will wilt at any moment," said Brown. "This woman is from Alaska for crying out loud. She is strong. She is tough. She is confident. And you claim she is ready to be one heart beat away form the presidency. If that is the case, then end this chauvinistic treatment of her now. Allow her to show her stuff. Allow her to face down those pesky reporters... Let her have a real news conference with real questions. By treating Sarah Palin different from the other candidates in this race, you are not showing her the respect she deserves. Free Sarah Palin. Free her from the chauvinistic chain you are binding her with. Sexism in this campaign must come to an end. Sarah Palin has just as much a right to be a real candidate in this race as the men do. So let her act like one."" -By Sam Stein -HuffingtonPost.com  WATCH:
Female news anchor tell Republican McCain camp to end its "sexist" treatment
of Republican Sarah Palin and "Free Sarah Palin"
Sarah
Palin - McCain
-  Investigation
- Politics
- Law
- Alaska
-  Virginia
-  New
York - 2008
Election
"Alaskans angered that Palin is off-limits: Queries are directed through the [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain campaign machine. Her political capital at home is eroding." ... "Jerry McCutcheon went to [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate] Sarah Palin's office here last week to request information about the firing of former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, the scandal that for weeks has threatened to overshadow the governor's role as Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate." ... "McCutcheon was given a phone number in Virginia to call: the national headquarters of the McCain-Palin campaign." ... "Why, he wanted to know, did he have to call a campaign office 4,300 miles away to find out what was going on in Alaska government?" ... ""Why did the McCain campaign take over the governor's office?" the Anchorage Daily News demanded in an editorial Saturday. "Is it too much to ask that Alaska's governor speak for herself, directly to Alaskans, about her actions as Alaska's governor?"" ... "The biggest controversy came Tuesday, when the McCain-Palin campaign called a news conference to dispute the claim that Monegan was dismissed for refusing to fire the trooper." ... "Edward O'Callaghan, who until recently was co-chief of the terrorism and national security unit of the U.S. [United States] attorney's office in New York, and a former Palin spokeswoman now working for the national campaign, accused Monegan of a "rogue mentality" and "outright insubordination." They said he had flown to Washington, D.C., without Palin's approval to lobby for more police funding." ... "Democratic leaders, incensed that outsiders were attacking a respected former state official, produced a travel document Friday showing that in fact Monegan had a signed authorization from the governor's chief of staff before making what the Palin camp had called an "unauthorized" lobbying trip." ... ""I don't know why they're trying to paint this [legislative investigation] as a Democratic partisan attack," said state Sen. Wielechowski. "The thing I constantly remind people of is: Democrats didn't push this. You know who pushed it? It was the Republicans. This is the thing people conveniently forget now. There were no Democrats out there screaming for an investigation."" (1, 2) -By Kim Murphy -LAtimes 
Sarah
Palin - Crime
-  Women
-  Medical
-  DNA
- Law
- Politics
- Alaska
- 2008
Election
"Palin's town charged women for rape exams." ... "[2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Governor of] Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's hometown required women to pay for their own rape examinations while she was mayor, a practice her police chief fought to keep as late as 2000." ... "Former state [Alaska State Democratic Representative] Rep. Eric Croft, a Democrat, sponsored a state law requiring cities to provide the examinations free of charge to victims. He said the only ongoing resistance he met was from Wasilla [Alaska], where Palin was mayor from 1996 to 2002." ... ""It was one of those things everyone could agree on except Wasilla," Croft told CNN. "We couldn't convince the chief of police to stop charging them."" ... "Alaska's Legislature in 2000 banned the practice of charging women for rape exam kits -- which experts said could cost up to $1,000." ... "For years, Alaska has had the worst record of any state in rape and in murder of women by men. The rape rate in Alaska is 2.5 times the national average." ... "The bill, HB270, was before the legislature for six months. In testimony, one expert called the practice of billing the victim "incomprehensible." Others compared it to "dust[ing] for fingerprints" after a burglary, only "the victim's body is the crime scene."" ... "During a rape exam, the victim removes her clothing and a medical professional gathers DNA evidence from her body. There is also a medical component to assess her injuries." ... "[Tara] Henry, the forensic nurse, said charging victims "retraumatizes them."" ... ""Asking them to pay for something law enforcement needs in order to investigate their case, it's almost like blaming them for getting sexually assaulted," she said." -By Jessica Yellin -CNN
Sarah
Palin -  Chuck
Hagel - John
McCain -  Nebraska
- Alaska
-  US-  International
-  Russia
- 2008
Election
"[Republican Senator] Sen. Hagel doubts Palin's ready." ... "[Nebraska Republican Senator] Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska is the nation's most prominent Republican officeholder to publicly question whether Sarah Palin has the experience to serve as president." ... ""She doesn't have any foreign policy credentials," Hagel said Wednesday in an interview. "You get a passport for the first time in your life last year? I mean, I don't know what you can say. You can't say anything."" ... "Palin was elected governor of Alaska in 2006 and before that was the mayor of a small town." ... "The McCain campaign has cited the proximity of Alaska to Russia as evidence of her international experience." ... "Hagel scoffed at that notion." ... ""I think they ought to be just honest about it and stop the nonsense about, 'I look out my window and I see Russia and so therefore I know something about Russia,'" he said. "That kind of thing is insulting to the American people."" ... ""I think it's a stretch to, in any way, to say that she's got the experience to be president of the United States," Hagel said." -By Joseph Morton -World-Herald
Sarah
Palin -  Don
Young - Money
- Politics
- Federal
-  Transportation
-  Construction
-  Animals
-  Environment
- Alaska
- 2008
Election
"Palin supports $600 million 'other' bridge project." ... "[Alaska Republican Governor] Gov. Sarah Palin may eventually have said "no thanks" to a federally funded Bridge to Nowhere [after supporting it even after Congress had stopped it]." ... "But a bridge to her hometown of Wasilla [Alaska], that's a different story." ... "A $600 million bridge and highway project to link Alaska's largest city to Palin's town of 7,000 residents is moving full speed ahead, despite concerns the bridge could worsen some commuting and threaten a population of beluga whales." ... "Local officials already have spent $42 million on plans to route traffic across the Knik Arm inlet, a narrow finger of water extending roughly 25 miles northeast of Anchorage toward Wasilla. The proposal exists thanks to an earmark request by Republican [Alaska Representative] Rep. Don Young, whose son-in-law has a small stake in property near the bridge's proposed western span." ... ""This is basically an incredibly expensive project that doesn't help commuters, doesn't help create jobs and may drive whales to extinction," said Justin Massey, an attorney advising environmentalists opposed to the proposal. "It is also a project that serves the area where the governor is from, which is near and dear to her heart."" ... "Palin still supports the second bridge, officially named Don Young's Way in honor of the congressman." -By Garance Burke -AP via -Yahoo 
Sarah
Palin - Criminal
- Money
- Politics
- Women
-  Children
- Law
- Federal
- Alaska
- 2008
Election
"Source: Sex Assault Program Cited in Monegan Firing Targeted Child Abusers." ... "So [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Alaska Governor] Sarah Palin's latest explanation for why she fired Walt Monegan is that he had gone over her head in seeking federal money for an initiative to combat sexual assault crimes, before she had approved the program." ... "But it now appears that the program in question is one that most elected officials would be wary of admitting they hadn't strongly backed. According to Peggy Brown, who heads the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Monegan wanted to use the federal money to hire retired troopers and law enforcement officials, and assign them to investigate the most egregious cases of sexual assault -- including those against children." ... "In other words, if Palin's new story is true, she fired Monegan for being too aggressive in going after child molesters." ... "ABC News reported yesterday that, although Alaska leads the nation in reported rapes per capita, Palin hasn't made the issue a priority as governor." ... "Monegan, however, appeared eager to change that. "He seemed to get the issue and really took it seriously," Brown told TPMmuckraker." ... "According to the Palin camp, too seriously." -By Zachary Roth -TPMMuckracker .TalkingPointsMemo 
Sarah
Palin - John
McCain - Investigation
- Politics
- Alaska
- 2008
Election
"Fired Official: Governor Sarah Palin Did Not Tell the Truth to ABC: Walt Monegan Says He Was Called to [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Alaska Governor] Gov.'s Office Over a "Private Family Matter"." ... ""She's not telling the truth when she told ABC neither she nor her husband pressured me to fire Trooper Wooten," said Walt Monegan, the Alaskan official whose dismissal by Sarah Palin is the focus of a state investigation known as "Troopergate". "And she's not telling the truth to the media about her reasons for firing me."" ... "In a 20/20 interview, Palin told ABC's Charles Gibson she dismissed Monegan for poor job performance and that neither she nor her husband pressured Monegan to fire State Trooper Wooten. "We never did. I never pressured him to hire or fire anybody," Palin said." ... "But Monegan told ABC News.com he was summoned to a meeting with Todd Palin in December 2006, shortly after Sarah Palin became governor." ... ""I was called to her Anchorage formal Governor's office to talk with Todd Palin about an issue that was a private family matter," recounted Monegan. Todd became "upset," Monegan recalled, when told the allegations had already been investigated and the case would not be re-opened." ... ""When Sarah later called to tell me the same thing, I thought to myself, 'I may not be long for this job.'" But, Monegan said, he stood by his position. "I held the public trust. As Chief, I was responsible."" ... "Governor Palin initially agreed to "cooperate fully" with the Alaska state legislative investigation but since being chosen as [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain's running mate both she and her husband have refused to testify voluntarily." (1, 2, 3) -By Rhonda Schwartz and Justin Rood -ABCNEWS.com
John
McCain - Sarah
Palin - Federal
- Money
- Politics
- Immigration
- Religion
- US
- Alaska
- Russia
-  Iraq
-  Military
- 2008
Election
"John McCain's Journey From Maverick to Liar." ... "When Jon Stewart asked [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain last year, "Are you going into crazy base world?" the celebrated maverick acknowledged, "I'm afraid so."" ... "McCain flip-flopped on the [Republican President] Bush tax cuts. He abandoned immigration reform. He reached out to Jerry Falwell and other religious conservatives." ... "It wasn't enough. And so, in a move that even one of his longtime advisers conceded (in a remark captured by an open microphone) was disturbingly "cynical," McCain gave the base [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate] Sarah Palin." ... "So far, the main "maverick" actions that McCain has promised as the next Republican president are to trim nonmilitary Democratic spending and continue the Iraq war. You can't get more conventional than that." ... "And even that message has been somewhat undermined by disclosures that Palin was a champion of those costly federal earmark projects she has lobbied for in Alaska—where, you know, you can see Russia." ... "At this point, McCain has taken the obvious way out—launching a series of distracting attacks on [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama, with slim regard for truth." ... "The ads have spurred a backlash, the consequences (or lack) of which may well decide the election." ... "For 18 months, Obama has wagered all his chips on the (quaint? idealistic? brilliant?) idea that the American people are tired of the same old sleazy and divisive politics. McCain has now chosen to bet against him." ... "And we are the cards." -By John Aloysius Farrell -usnews.com
 Barack
Obama - John
McCain - Sarah
Palin - Disaster
- Politics
-  Workers
-  Colorado
-  Arizona
- Alaska
- 2008
Election
"Obama blames Wall St. crisis on Republican policy." ... "[Obama on McCain:] "In 19 months he [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain] has not named one thing he would do differently from this [Republican President Bush] administration on the central issue of this election," [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama said of McCain. "Not one thing. And we know that if we go down that path, that the next four years will look exactly like the last eight."" ... ""Can you afford to take a chance on someone who's voted against the minimum wage 19 times," Obama asked a crowd of thousands under a blazing sun at a rally in western Colorado at the start of a swing through contested Western states. "When it was $4, he was against it, when it was $5 he was against it, when it was $6 he was against it."" ... "Charging that McCain was out of touch, Obama said, "He doesn't get what's happening between the mountains in Sedona [Arizona] where he lives and the corridors of power where he works. Why else would he say that we've made great progress economically under George Bush. Why else would he say that the economy isn't something he understands as well as he should." ... ""Why else would he say, today of all days, just a few hours ago — think about this, we just woke up to news of financial disaster — and this morning he said that the fundamentals of the economy are still strong. Sen. McCain, what economy are you talking about?"" ... "He also took a little poke at McCain's running mate, [Alaska Republican Governor] Gov. Sarah Palin, raising the "Bridge to Nowhere" in Alaska that she initially supported and later opposed. Saying that McCain had put some lobbyists in key roles of his campaign, Obama said, "If you think those lobbyists are working day and night for John McCain just to put themselves out of business, well I've got a bridge to sell you up in Alaska."" -By Terence Hunt -AP via -Yahoo
Sarah
Palin - John
McCain - Money
- Politics
-  Travel
- Family
- Alaska
- 2008
Election
"Palin Tax Mystery Enters Second Week: Itemizing The Questions." ... "When news broke last week that [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Governor of] Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin received more than $17,000 in state-issued per diems for evenings spent in her own home, several tax experts and watchdogs asked whether [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain's running mate had ever declared and paid taxes on that money as income. Including travel reimbursements for Palin's family members, the Washington Post reported that the total amount of potentially taxable income totals over $60,000 for Palin's first 18 months as governor." -By Seth Colter Walls -HuffingtonPost.com
Sarah
Palin - John
McCain - Money
- Politics
- Federal
- Alaska
-  Oil
- 2008
Election
"Palin's Project List Totals $453 Million." ... "Last week, [2008 Election] Republican presidential candidate [and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain said his running mate, Alaska [Republican Governor] Gov. Sarah Palin, hadn't sought earmarks or special-interest spending from Congress, presenting her as a fiscal conservative. But state records show Gov. Palin has asked U.S. [United States] taxpayers to fund $453 million in specific Alaska projects over the past two years." ... "These projects include more than $130 million in federal funds that would benefit Alaska's fishing industry and an additional $9 million to help Alaska oil companies. She also has sought $4.5 million to upgrade an airport on a Bering Sea island that has a year-round population of less than 100." ... "During an appearance Friday on ABC's "The View," Sen. McCain said Gov. Palin shared his views, and hasn't sought congressional earmarks. "Not as governor she hasn't," he said." ... "In fact, in the current fiscal year, she is seeking $197 million for 31 projects, the records show. In the prior year, her first year in office, she sought $256 million for dozens more projects ranging from research on rockfish and harbor-seal genetics to rural sanitation and obesity prevention." ... "The state's earmark requests stand out in part because its state government is among the wealthiest in the U.S. Flush with oil and gas royalties, it doesn't impose income or sales taxes. In fact, money flows the other way: Every man, woman and child this year got a check for $3,200." ... "The McCain campaign has also come under fire for saying on the stump and in TV ads that Gov. Palin killed the controversial "Bridge to Nowhere," a $223 million earmark linking the mainland to a sparsely populated island. In fact, she supported the project initially and killed it after it was widely criticized and Congress allowed the state to use the funds for other projects." -By Laura Meckler and John R. Wilke -WSJ.com 
Sarah
Palin - John
McCain - Criminal
- Politics
- Women
- Children
-  Safety
- Law
- Money
- Religion
- Alaska
- 2008
Election
"Critics Question Palin's Record on "Epidemic" Rape, Domestic Violence in Alaska: Effort to Tackle Sex Violence Stalled by [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah] Palin's Office, Sources Say." ... "Evangelicals and social conservatives have embraced [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain's vice presidential pick for what they call her "pro-family," "pro-woman" values. But in Alaska, critics say [Alaska Republican Governor] Gov. Sarah Palin has not addressed the rampant sexual abuse, rape, domestic violence and murder that make her state one of the most dangerous places in the country for women and children." ... "Alaska leads the nation in reported forcible rapes per capita, according to the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation], with a rate two and a half times the national average – a ranking it has held for many years. Children are no safer: Public safety experts believe that the prevalence of rape and sexual assault of minors in Alaska makes the state's record one of the worst in the U.S. [United States] And while solid statistics on domestic violence are hard to come by, most – including Gov. Palin – agree it is an "epidemic."" ... "Despite the governor's pro-family image, public safety experts and advocates for women and children struggled when asked to explain how Palin's leadership has helped address the crisis. And current and former officials from Palin's administration confirmed that an ambitious plan to tackle the crisis has apparently sunk into doldrums after arriving at the governor's office." ... ""She's really done a lot of work on oil and gas, but when it comes to violence against women and children. . . we haven't been on her radar as a priority," said Peggy Brown, executive director of the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. The Juneau[Alaska's capital]-based group is an umbrella organization for shelters and anti-violence programs around the state." ... "State troopers respond to most domestic violence calls outside of Alaska's major cities, but they're too short-staffed and under-funded to do it well, according to Robert Claus, a recently retired trooper." (1, 2, 3) -By Justin Rood -ABCNEWS.com
Sarah
Palin - John
McCain - Health
- Alaska
- 2008
Election
"Sarah Palin Installed Tanning Bed at Governor's Mansion." ... "Self-proclaimed "hockey mom" [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Alaska Governor] Sarah Palin had a private tanning bed installed in the Governor's Mansion in Juneau, Alaska, Usmagazine.com confirmed on Monday." ... ""She did. She paid for it with her own money," Roger Wetherell, chief communications officer of Alaska's Department of Transportation and Public Facilities told Us." ... "The Narco News Bulletin first reported on the former beauty queen's penchant for a bronzed body." ... "Tanning beds can cost up to $35,000 to install in a home - not including the cost of parts, Color Me Tan manager Erin Weise told the Narco News." ... ""I don't think it's normal for people to have a tanning bed in their house, " Wiese, who is based in Fairbanks [Alaska] said. "It's expensive."" ... "Palin's running mate, [2008 Election Republican] presidential candidate John McCain battled skin cancer in 1993, and again in 2000." -UsMagazine.com
Sarah
Palin -  Ohio
- Alaska
- 2008
Election
"Palin and the Teleprompter." ... "At a fundraiser in Canton, Ohio, this evening, [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Governor of] Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin had an interesting description of her speech to the Republican convention." ... "“There Ohio was right out in front, right in front of me," Palin said. "The teleprompter got messed up, I couldn’t follow it, and I just decided I’d just talk to the people in front of me. It was Ohio.”" ... "This struck many of us -- who, as she spoke, followed along with her prepared remarks, and noted how closely she stuck to the script -- as an unusual claim. (Especially those of my colleagues on the convention floor at the time, reading along on the prompter with her, noticing her excellent and disciplined delivery, how she punched words that were underlined and paused where it said "pause," noting that "nuclear" was spelled out for her phonetically.)" ... "I should note that, after Palin's speech, some conservative bloggers reported that sources close to McCain had told them that the teleprompter had broken and Palin "winged it."" ... ""The teleprompter did not break," wrote Politico's Jonathan Martin. "Sarah Palin delivered a powerful speech last night, but she did not 'wing it'..."" ... "Says Martin, "Perhaps there were moments where it scrolled slightly past her exact point in the speech. But I was sitting in the press section next to the stage, within easy eyeshot of the teleprompter. I frequently looked up at the machine, and there was no serious malfunction. A top convention planner confirms this morning that there were no major problems."" -By Jake Tapper -ABCNEWS.com
Sarah
Palin -  Rove
-  Abramoff
-  E-Mail
- Secrecy
- Government
-  Archive
- Politics
- Legal
- Investigation
-  Computer
-  Internet
-  Tech
- Alaska
- 2008
Election
"Even before VP nomination, Palin's e-mail use questioned." ... "Moments after [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Alaska Governor] Gov. Sarah Palin's first speech as Republican [2008 Election Presidential Candidate] John McCain's running mate, she sat with her kids backstage, thumbing one of the two BlackBerrys that are always with her." ... "The tech-savvy governor has one of the devices (which allow users to read and send e-mails) for state business and another for personal matters, but those worlds intertwine." ... "Palin routinely uses a private Yahoo e-mail account to conduct state business. Others in the governor's office sometimes use personal e-mail accounts, too." ... "The practice raises questions about backdoor secrecy in an administration that vowed during the 2006 campaign to be "open and transparent."" ... "Even before the McCain campaign plucked Palin from Alaska, a controversy was brewing over e-mails in the governor's office. Was the administration trying to get around the public records law through broad exemptions or private e-mail accounts?" ... "The governor's Yahoo account is "the most nonsensical, inane thing I've ever heard of," said Andree McLeod, who is appealing the administration's decision to withhold e-mails." ... ""The governor sets the tone and the tone that has been set by this governor is beyond the pale," McLeod said. "Common sense tells you to use an official state e-mail account for official state business."" ... "State lawyers say that the governor's e-mails about public business should be treated like any other public record, even if she's sent them through a private account such as Yahoo." ... "Some of her aides also routinely use Yahoo, but even messages sent from one private account to another should be public, if they concern public business, said Dave Jones, an assistant attorney general." ... ""The difficulty is finding out they exist," Jones said." ... "The [Republican President] Bush administration has drawn heat over revelations that more than 80 White House aides, including senior Bush adviser Karl Rove, used private GOP e-mail servers for government business. The controversy surfaced during congressional investigations into White House contacts with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and into the firings of U.S. attorneys." -By Lisa Demer -ADN.com via -McClatchyDC.com
Sarah
Palin - E-Mails
- Archive
- Politics
- Legal
- Investigation
- Family
-  Privacy
- Alaska
- 2008
Election
"Palin asked to release her husband's e-mails." ... "Can [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Alaska Governor] Gov. Sarah Palin legally keep e-mails between her husband and her administration from being released to the public?" ... "That's the question the lawyer of Andree McLeod, a self-described Republican watchdog, put to the governor last week in an appeal to disclose e-mails between her administration and her husband, Todd." ... "Those e-mails could shed light on how Gov. Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, runs the state. And they could also help reveal what role Todd Palin, who the state Legislature's special investigator called a "central figure" in the governor's firing of former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, played in his wife's administration." ... "In July, the governor's office refused to disclose the contents of about 40 e-mails between Todd Palin and Gov. Palin's administration as part of a larger public records request by McLeod. Other e-mails between Todd Palin and the governor's staff were released, McLeod said, but had some parts redacted. Todd Palin is copied as a recipient on most of the e-mails but also authored a few." ... "Some of the subject lines of the withheld e-mails, which were created between [February] Feb. 1 and [April] Apr. 15. of this year, included: "Andrew Halcro," and "PSEA." Halcro is a political rival of Palin. The PSEA is the union that represents the Alaska State Troopers, including trooper Mike Wooten, who is divorced from Gov. Palin's sister and is also a key figure in the investigation of Monegan's firing." ... "In redacting or denying the request for e-mails, the governor's office mostly cited Gov. Palin's right to a "deliberative process privilege," a law designed to let public officials receive candid advice from their staff and consultants regarding matters of the state without fear of that advice going public." ... "But McLeod's lawyer, Donald Mitchell, said Gov. Palin waived that privilege when Todd Palin was included in her staff's e-mails. Documents released to one member of the public have to be available to all members of the public, he said." ... ""Mr. Palin is a private citizens whose only connection to the office of the governor is that, at your invitation, he from time to time is physically present in the offices of ... the governor for no reason other than that he is your spouse," Mitchell wrote in his appeal directly to the governor." ... "Those who pay attention to Alaska's public records laws said Mitchell's legal argument holds water." ... "Larry Persily, a former Empire editor who recently finished working for Gov. Palin in Washington D.C., said he would bet his Alaska Permanent Fund dividend that a judge would agree with him that Gov. Palin has no claims to the deliberative process privilege once her administration's e-mail discussions include her husband." ... ""The dike has got a hole in it, it's over," Persily said. " -By Alan Suderman -JuneauEmpire.com
Sarah
Palin -  Ted
Stevens - Don
Young - Money
- Politics
- Federal
- Transportation
- Construction
- Architecture
- Alaska
- Nevada
- 2008
Election
"Palin Administration Still Pursuing ‘Nowhere’ Project." ... "[2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Governor of] Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has portrayed herself as a foe of pork-barrel spending, pointing in particular to her role in killing the $398 million "Bridge to Nowhere” between Ketchikan (pop. 7,400) and its airport on Gravina Island (pop. 50). I "told the Congress, 'Thanks, but no thanks,'" she said in her speech accepting the Republican vice presidential nomination. "If our state wanted to build a bridge, we were going to build it ourselves."" ... "But Gov. Palin’s administration acknowledges that it is still pursuing a project that would link Ketchikan to its airport -- with the help of as much as $73 million in federal funds earmarked by Congress for the original project." ... ""What the media isn't reporting is that the project isn't dead," Roger Wetherell, spokesman for Alaska’s Department of Transportation, said. In a process begun this past winter, the state’s DOT is currently considering (PDF) a number of alternative solutions (five other possible bridges or three different ferry routes) to link Ketchikan and Gravina Island." ... "The DOT has not yet developed cost estimates for those proposals, Wetherell said, but $73 million of the approximately $223 million [Alaska Republican Senator] Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK [Republican-Alaska]) and [Alaska Republican Representative] Rep. Don Young (R-AK [Republican-Alaska]) earmarked for the bridge in 2005 has been set aside for the Gravina Access Project." ... "In an interview that aired Friday night, ABC’s Charles Gibson challenged Palin about the fact that she’d initially supported the “Bridge to Nowhere” during her 2006 run for governor. “I was for infrastructure being built in the state,” she said, but repeated her line that Alaska would “find a way to build [the bridge] ourselves."” ... "The massive $398 million "Bridge to Nowhere" was to replace ferry service from the airport to Ketchikan (departing every half-hour), a 15-minute ride -- meaning that air travelers are assured of reaching Ketchikan in no more than 45 minutes. It would have done so in grand style: the planned structure would have been nearly as long as the Golden Gate and higher than the Brooklyn Bridge." -By Paul Kiel -ProPublica.org
Sarah
Palin - Money
- Politics
- Federal
- Transportation
- Construction
- Alaska
- Nevada
- 2008
Election
"Palin's 'Bridge to Nowhere' line returns." ... "In her first solo campaign rally outside of Alaska, [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Alaska Governor] Gov. Sarah Palin drew an enthusiastic crowd at the Pony Express Pavilion [Carson City, Nevada] Saturday and returned to a familiar refrain about the “Bridge to Nowhere.”" ... "Palin has come under fire in recent days for misleadingly saying she told Congress “thanks but no thanks,” refusing an earmark for a bridge to a sparsely inhabited island in her home state. Independent groups and media fact-checkers have said Palin advocated for the federal earmark before opposing it, only ended after Congress had essentially killed it, and kept the $223 million for the appropriation after the project was killed." ... "She reiterated a line that she put the governor’s luxury jet on eBay. While accurate, the jet wasn’t sold on eBay." ... "Nevada [Lieutenant Governor] Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki said on stage that 10,000 people were in the crowd, but parks officials said the pavilion held only 3,500 people." -By Matthew E. Berger with contributions by Mark Murray -MSNBC
Sarah
Palin - Criminal
- Money
- Politics
- Medical
- Law
- Alaska
- 2008
Election
"New Evidence: Palin Had Direct Role In Charging Rape Victims For Exams." ... "Despite denials by the [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah] Palin campaign, new evidence proves that as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, Sarah Palin had a direct hand in imposing fees to pay for post-sexual assault medical exams conducted by the city to gather evidence." ... "Palin's role is now confirmed by Wasilla City budget documents available online." ... "Under Sarah Palin's administration, Wasilla cut funds that had previously paid for the medical exams and began charging victims or their health insurers the $500 to $1200 fees. Although Palin spokeswoman Maria Comella wrote USA Today earlier this week that the GOP vice presidential nominee "does not believe, nor has she ever believed, that rape victims should have to pay for an evidence-gathering test...To suggest otherwise is a deliberate misrepresentation of her commitment to supporting victims and bringing violent criminals to justice," Palin, as mayor, fired police chief Irl Stambaugh and replaced him with Charlie Fannon, who with Palin's knowledge, slashed the budget for the exams and began charging the city's victims of sexual assault. The city budget documents demonstrate Palin read and signed off on the new budget. A year later, alarmed Alaska lawmakers passed legislation outlawing the practice." ... "News of the controversial policy has leaked slowly into the press this week as the presidential campaign has heated up and Palin's record has been subject to increasing scrutiny. The practice of charging rape victims has called into question Palin's stated commitment to women's issues, her judgment as an executive and her honesty about her record. " -By Jacob Alperin-Sheriff -HuffingtonPost.com 
Sarah
Palin - Money
- Politics
- Children
- Travel
-  Meals
- Alaska
- 2008
Election
"Palin expensed her children's air travel to the state." ... "Since [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Alaska Governor] Gov. Sarah Palin took office nearly two years ago, the state of Alaska has routinely bought commercial airline tickets for her daughters when they travel with her, a practice that raises questions about the governor's claim to being a fiscal conservative." ... "Travel records from the governor's office show that the state has spent at least $31,800 on dozens of airline tickets for the family, and more for meals and hotels." ... "Records show the family has traveled with Palin for events such as the Alaska Federation of Natives convention in Fairbanks [Alaska] last fall and to shoot official first family photos in Juneau [Alaska's capital], to draw raffle tickets at an event in Anchorage [Alaska] and to tour a teen center spearheaded by the Juneau Christian Center. " -By Kyle Hopkins -ADN.com via -McClatchyDC.com
Sarah
Palin - Money
- Politics
- Travel
- Food
- Family
-  Sports
-  Entertainment
- Alaska
- New
York - 2008
Election
"Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at Home: Taxpayers Also Funded Family's Travel." ... "[2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Governor of] Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business." ... "The governor also has charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions. And her husband, Todd, has billed the state for expenses and a daily allowance for trips he makes on official business for his wife." ... "Palin, who earns $125,000 a year, claimed and received $16,951 as her allowance, which officials say was permitted because her official "duty station" is Juneau, according to an analysis of her travel documents by The Washington Post." ... "The governor's daughters and husband charged the state $43,490 to travel, and many of the trips were between their house in Wasilla and Juneau, the capital city 600 miles away, the documents show." ... "She wrote some form of "Lodging -- own residence" or "Lodging -- Wasilla residence" more than 30 times at the same time she took a per diem, according to the reports. In two dozen undated amendments to the reports, the governor deleted the reference to staying in her home but still charged the per diem." ... "Palin charged the state a per diem for working on Nov. 22, 2007 -- Thanksgiving Day. The reason given, according to the expense report, was the Great Alaska Shootout, an annual NCAA college basketball tournament held in Anchorage." ... "In separate filings, the state was billed about $25,000 for Palin's daughters' expenses and $19,000 for her husband's." ... "One event was in New York City in October 2007, when Bristol accompanied the governor to Newsweek's third annual Women and Leadership Conference, toured the New York Stock Exchange and met local officials and business executives. The state paid for three nights in a $707-a-day hotel room." ... "The family also charged for flights around the state, including trips to Alaska events such as the start of the Iditarod dog-sled race and the Iron Dog snowmobile race, a contest that Todd Palin won." (1, 2, 3) -By James V. Grimaldi and Karl Vick with contribution by Alice Crites -WashingtonPost
Sarah
Palin - John
McCain - Housing
- Market
- Government
- Alaska
- Colorado
- 2008
Election
"Palin Makes Her First Gaffe." ... "[2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Alaska Governor] Gov. Sarah Palin made her first potentially major gaffe during her time on the national scene while discussing the developments of the perilous housing market this past weekend." ... "Speaking before voters in Colorado Springs [Colorado], the Republican vice presidential nominee claimed that lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had "gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers." The companies, as McClatchy reported, "aren't taxpayer funded but operate as private companies. The takeover may result in a taxpayer bailout during reorganization."" ... "Economists and analysts pounced on the misstatement, which came before the government had spent funds bailing the two entities out, saying it demonstrated a lack of understanding about one of the key economic issues likely to face the next administration." ... ""You would like to think that someone who is going to be vice president and conceivable president would know what Fannie and Freddie do," said Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. "These are huge institutions and they are absolutely central to our country's mortgage debt. To not have a clue what they do doesn't speak well for her, I'd say." " -By Sam Stein -HuffingtonPost.com WATCH:
Palin falsely asserted Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are "too big and too
expensive to the taxpayers." John McCain applauded the false assertion.
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