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HavenWorks.com/missouri Missouri News |
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Missouri News, Missouri State News, Missouri capital: Jefferson City, MO News |
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Missouri capital: Jefferson City US
Capitals
MO: Missouri State
Abbr.
Missouri State is bordered by the states of Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa. |
 Missouri
MISSOURI News:
 Barack
Obama -  Don
Young -  Government
-  Money
-  Education
- Missouri
-  Alaska
"GOP [Republicans] Fighting For Money From Stimulus They Opposed." ... "House Republicans, as a group, may take great pride in the goose egg [zero votes] they offered [Democratic] President Obama's stimulus package. But now the unanimous opposition is struggling to bring that money home." ... "Republicans will be working hard to make sure the money they opposed ends up benefiting their home districts, highlighting the political tightrope they walk in this economic crisis." ... "Back in his home district, [Missouri Republican Representative] Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO [Republican-Missouri]) [who voted against the stimulus plane] found some nice things to say about the plan." ... ""Within the stimulus package there is some Pell Grant money, which is a good thing. It helps students be able to pay for their education and that's kind of a long term stimulus effect there. I mean obviously that's not gonna provide a job in the next 120, 180 days, but the ability of someone to get an education is an economic development tool," Luetkemeyer said at a local college. He was there, in another inside-outside Washington twist, to celebrate an earmark for a college building." ... "[Alaska Republican Representative] Rep. Don Young (R-AK [Republican-Alaska]) [who voted against the stimulus plane] put out a press release saying that he "won a victory for the Alaska Native contracting program and other Alaska small business owners last night in H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act."" -By Ryan Grim -HuffingtonPost.com 
Barack
Obama -  Michael
Steele -  Pete
Hoekstra - Don
Young -  Lindsey
Graham -  Ken
Calvert - Emergency
- Economics
-  Politics
-  Families
-  Jobs
-  Housing
-  Construction
- Education
- Government
- US_Debt
- Missouri
-  MN
-  SC
-  FL
-  CA
-  MI
-  NJ
- AK
"Kit Bond Touts Effects Of Stimulus Bill He Voted Against." ... "[Missouri Republican Senator Kit Bond voted against the stimulus bill asserting:} “Unfortunately, this bill stimulates the debt, it stimulates the growth of government, but it doesn’t stimulate jobs,” Bond insisted." ... "However, today Bond is touring Missouri to tout the very stimulus plan he railed against. In a press release, Bond boasted about an amendment he included in the bill to provide more funding for affordable housing — and that will create jobs:" "Last week, Bond led a bipartisan group of Senators in introducing an amendment to help provide needy families affordable housing. Bond’s amendment provides $2 billion to fund low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) projects that have been stalled by the financial credit crisis. As part of the Democrats’ spending bill now signed into law, the Senate unanimously accepted Bond’s provision. […]""“This is the type of emergency stimulus spending we should be supporting — programs that will create jobs now and help families,” Bond said." ... "Bond’s “I was against it before I was for it” maneuver at least has local media fooled. Just 24 hours after noting his opposition to the stimulus bill, local news this morning reported that Bond would be touring the state “pushing his plan to create 3,000 jobs in the state and build more than 700 affordable housing units.” Watch the local CBS channel try to keep up with Bond’s flip-flops:" "Bond is not alone in trying to reap the political benefits both from voting against the bill and from bringing much needed funding to his district:" "– [Minnesota Republican Governor] Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), who complained that the “federal government is spending money they don’t have,” told Rachel Maddow he would nevertheless accept funds for Minnesota: “Our view is, if you buy the pizza, it’s OK if you have a slice.”""No wonder RNC [Republican National Committee] Chairman Michael Steele declared recently, “You have absolutely no reason — none — to trust our word or our actions at this point.”" "Update [Missouri Republican Representative] Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) boasted about the educational benefits of the recovery act, while [California Republican Representative] Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) said his office "will do what we can to direct as much money as we can." Neither voted for the bill." "Update [Michgan Republican Representative] Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) joins in, praising the stimulus' "generous" incentives for home buyers on his Twitter feed:" "petehoekstra If you know of someone thinking of buying first home, now may be the time.Stimulus incentive is very generous!Up to 8k!Check it out.""UpdateBlueJersey notes adds [New Jersey Republican Representative] Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) to the growing list. After insisting last Friday that the recovery bill "would have exploded our national debt without providing meaningful job growth," Lance toured construction sites in his district yesterday, touting funds that would come from the stimulus bill. "This is a classic example of a "shovel-ready' project," Lance said after the tour." -By Ali Frick -ThinkProgress.org
 John
Boehner
- Government
- Economic
-  Legislation
- Politics
-  History
- Poor
- Family
-  Women's
-  Medical
- Abortion
-  AL.
- FL
-  MS
- SC
- CA
-  LA
- MN
-  RI
- MO
-  Ohio
-  Wisconsin
"Republicans Irate Over Expansion of Republican-Approved Program." ... "[T]he family-planning program that [California Democratic Representative and House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi supports expanding in the stimulus bill was created in 1972 under the leadership of Republican president Richard Nixon." ... "What's being proposed is an expansion in the number of states that can use Medicaid money, with a federal match, to help low-income women prevent unwanted pregnancies. Of the 26 states that already have Medicaid waivers for family planning, eight are led by Republican governors (AL [Alabama], FL [Florida], MS [Mississippi], SC [South Carolina], CA [California], LA [Louisiana], MN [Minnesota] and RI [Rhode Island] -- a ninth, MO [Missouri], had a GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] governor until this past November). If this policy is truly a taxpayer gift to "the abortion industry," as [Ohio Republican Representative] John Boehner and House Republicans claim, where are the GOP governors promising to end the program in their states?" ... "Additionally, the process of obtaining a waiver for Medicaid family-planning coverage is extremely cumbersome. A letter written by Wisconsin health regulators in 2007 noted that some states have had to wait for as long as two years before their request was approved. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that eliminating the waiver requirement would save states $400 million over 10 years." -By Elana Schor -TPMDC .TalkingPointsMemo 
 John
McCain - Barack
Obama - 2008
Election - Missouri
-  Arizona
- Politics
"McCain wins Missouri; State's streak over!" ... "Fifteen days after [2008] Election Day, Republican [Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain has narrowly edged out [Democratic] President-elect Barack Obama in the state, according to CNN's review of the latest unofficial vote totals from the Missouri Secretary of State. This resolves the final outstanding contest of the 2008 presidential race." ... "With Missouri's 11 electoral votes in Senator McCain's column, the final count is 365 for Obama and 173 for McCain." ... "McCain's edging out of Obama in Missouri breaks the state's bellwether streak in which Missourians correctly picked the presidential candiate in every election dating back to the 1960 contest. Missouri got it wrong in 1956, voting for the Democratic challenger Adlai Stevenson, who lost the election to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Before that election, Missouri correctly picked the winner in every race for the White House dating back to 1904." -By Paul Steinhauser with contributions by Robert Yoon -CNN
Barack
Obama - 
- Ad
-  Media
- 2008
Election - Families- Economy
-  Military
- Ohio
- Missouri
-  Kansas
-  New
Mexico - Florida
- Arizona
- -  US
-  Iraq
"30-minute Obama ad shows campaign muscle." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama's 30-minute TV ad, which ran simultaneously on broadcast and cable networks at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, is muscle-flexing that has little precedent, a campaign advertising expert said." ... ""It's evidence, if you needed any, that the Obama campaign has more money than there is ad time left to buy," said Evan Tracey, director of the Campaign Media Analysis Group. "This is flexing the muscles."" ... ""The strategic brilliance of this for Obama is that he is going to consume about 24 hours of the news cycle," Tracey said. "It boxes [John] McCain in, takes the oxygen out of the room."" ... "In the carefully produced infomercial, Obama laid out his plans for the economy and for bringing an end to the war in Iraq." ... "It also featured stories of struggling families in swing states such as Ohio and Missouri and included testimonials from high-profile supporters, including Kansas [Democratic Governor] Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and New Mexico [Democratic Governor] Gov. Bill Richardson." ... "Obama's Republican opponent, Arizona Sen. John McCain, was not mentioned, nor was the GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican]. The spot ended with a brief, live Obama address to a rally in Florida, another hotly contested state in this year's campaign." -By Richard Allen Greene -CNN  WATCH
Barack
Obama ad: "American Stories, American Solutions."
 
 Sarah
Palin -  Fashion
- Politics
- McCain
- 2008
Election - Missouri
-  New
York - Minnesota
"RNC shells out $150K for Palin fashion." ... "The Republican National Committee [RNC] has spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate] Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain in late August." ... "According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis [Missouri] and New York for a combined $49,425.74." ... "The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis [Minnesota], including one $75,062.63 spree in early September." ... "The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August." ... "September payments were also made to Barney’s New York ($789.72) and Bloomingdale’s New York ($5,102.71)." ... "Macy’s in Minneapolis, another store fortunate enough to be situated in the Twin Cities that hosted last summer’s Republican National Convention, received three separate payments totaling $9,447.71." ... "An additional $4,902.45 was spent in early September at Atelier, a high-class shopping destination for men." -By Jeanne Cummings -Politico.com 
 Joe
Biden - John
McCain - Corporate
- Government
- Politics
- Consumer
- Regulation
- Mo
- Arizona
-  Tennessee
- 2008
Election
"Biden Accuses McCain of Waffling on Homeowner Help Plan." ... "[2008 Election] Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden started his 24-hour swing through the Show-Me State [Missouri] Thursday with a swipe at Republican [2008 Election Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain for already changing the mortgage buy-up plan that the GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] candidate introduced in Tuesday’s presidential debate in Nashville [Tennessee]." ... "“John said he was going to spend $300 billion of your tax money to buy from banks bad mortgages that they now own. And he was going to buy them, though, at a discount, an authority, meaning he wasn’t going to buy them for what the bank paid for them -- he’s going to buy them for what their market value was," Biden said at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Mo. [Missouri.] "And then on Wednesday morning he said, his campaign said, 'No, we made a mistake. We are going to buy them for exactly what the bank paid for them.'" ... ""So, he’s going to spend $300 billion of your money so the banks don’t lose a single penny!" Biden continued. "I’m not making this up. I know it sounds like fiction, but I’m not making this up." ... ""That’s not bailing out the homeowner," Biden added. "You’re bailing out the bank."" ... "“Ladies and gentlemen, in a matter of months, days, even hours, John McCain has gone from first cutting regulation consumer protections from banks –- that was his initial position, cut those protections -- then ignoring the banks and lenders and not even talking about them, now to talking about banks and lenders, and now he’s gone to the point of actually wanting to reward banks and lenders for their greedy behavior," Biden continued. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is not a steady hand, and the latest proposal is not only bad for taxpayers, it’s bad for homeowners and it’s bad for the economy, and everybody seems to be aware of it this morning."" -By Matthew Jaffe -ABCNEWS.com
John
McCain - Barack
Obama - Military
- Investment
- Arizona
- Mo
- 2008
Election
"McCain on FCS: Flip-flop or fib?" ... "Has [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain renounced his longtime antagonism toward the Army’s Future Combat Systems?" ... "On [September] Sept. 8, the Republican presidential candidate told a rally crowd in Lee’s Summit, Mo. [Missouri], about an [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama video message to a liberal advocacy group." ... "“He promised them he would, quote, ‘slow our development of Future Combat Systems,’” McCain said, according to wire reports. “This is not a time to slow our development of Future Combat Systems.”" ... "Flashback to July, however, when his campaign furnished McCain’s economic plan to The Washington Post, declaring that “there are lots of procurements — Airborne Laser, [C-17] Globemaster, Future Combat System [sic] — that should be ended and the entire Pentagon budget should be scrubbed.”" ... "In fact, McCain has long criticized the over-budget, behind-schedule FCS program. In 2005, he blasted the Army for allowing the program to balloon to $161 billion, and forced the service to rewrite the main FCS contract." ... "So where does McCain really stand? Some bloggers and analysts have suggested that he used the term “future combat systems” generically. Obama’s campaign maintains their candidate was speaking specifically about FCS, in which case McCain may be twisting his rival’s words." ... "Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute called it deceitful." ... "“McCain’s interpretation of Obama’s position is typical of the way in which the Republicans have twisted Democratic views in order to undercut their opponents and at the same time obscure the past positions of the Republicans,” Thompson said. “Future Combat Systems is the centerpiece of Army modernization. However, McCain has been more critical of it than anyone else in the chamber. Obama has been much more detailed and thoughtful in his comments about future military investment than McCain’s very superficial statements.”" -By Bradley Peniston with contributions by Antonie Boessenkool -ArmyTimes.com
John
McCain -  Bud
Day - Politics- 2004
Election - Ads
-Military
- History
-  Vietnam
-  Belgium
- US
-  Massachusetts
-  Texas
- Missouri
- 2008
Election
"Price of Power: McCain accepts ex-Swift Boaters' donations." ... "Republican [2008 Election Presidential Candidate] John McCain, who four years ago condemned independent ads challenging Democrat[ic Senator from Massachusetts and 2004 Election Presidential Candidate] John Kerry's military record, has accepted nearly $70,000 for his presidential campaign from the top donors of the group behind the attack ads and their relatives, a USA TODAY analysis shows." ... "In 2004, the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (later called SwiftVets and POWS for Truth) bankrolled ads charging that Kerry had lied about the incidents in Vietnam that led to his military decorations. The group included former members of the Navy who served in the same kind of river patrol boats as Kerry. McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, called the group's advertising "dishonest and dishonorable."" ... "Bob Perry, a Texas builder who gave nearly $4.5 million to Swift Boat Vets, and his wife, Doylene, each have given $4,400 to McCain's presidential campaign, some of which went to an account for legal and accounting expenses, records show." ... "Other donors include Sam Fox, a St. Louis [Missouri] businessman who was named [United States] U.S. ambassador to Belgium last year by President Bush." ... "On Monday, Kerry and national Democratic Party officials sharply criticized McCain for including retired Air Force colonel Bud Day in a conference call with reporters to defend McCain's military service. Day had appeared in Swift Boat ads." -By Fredreka Schouten -USATODAY 
Barack
Obama - John
McCain - Corporate
- Politics
- History
- Missouri
- 2008
Election
"Obama vs. McCain: Taxing and Spending." ... "Campaigning in St. Louis [Missouri] on June 10, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama called the current [Republican President Bush] Administration "the most fiscally irresponsible in our history" and argued that [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain would be even worse. "I've said John McCain is running to serve out a third term, but when it comes to taxes, that's not being fair to George Bush. Senator McCain wants to add $300 billion more in tax breaks and loopholes for big corporations and the wealthiest Americans," Obama said." ... "First Round to Obama" ... "According to a new analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, a joint venture between the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution, two Washington think tanks, this round goes to Obama. The TPC took a look at the various tax proposals put forth by the two candidates and estimated that Obama's plan would lead to a boost in aftertax income for all but the highest earners, while taking a smaller bite out of government tax revenues than would McCain's plans." ... "Len Burman, a former Treasury tax official who is now a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, says if Obama's proposals—which include plans to rescind the Bush tax cuts on couples making more than $250,000, close corporate tax loopholes, and tax private equity earnings known as "carried interest" as ordinary income—were adopted in 2009, for example, married couples with earnings in the lowest quintile of the population would see their aftertax income rise 5.8%. Those in the next quintile would see an increase of 4%. Those breaks would be paid for by those with high incomes: the top 1% of taxpayers would see aftertax income fall 8.4%." ... "Under McCain's proposals, by contrast—including an extension of the Bush tax cuts for all taxpayers, a corporate tax cut, and a larger reduction in estate taxes than Obama would support—far more of the benefits would go to the top. If his plans went into effect in 2009, married couples in the bottom fifth of the population would see aftertax income go up just 0.2%, while those in the next quintile would see a 0.7% hike. But those in the top quintile would see a bump up in aftertax income of 2.7%." ... ""It's just flat wrong" to say people would do worse under Obama, says Burman. "Most lower- and middle-class people would pay less taxes under Obama than they would under the proposals being put forth by McCain."" ... "[Obama's economic policy director Jason Furman:] "Some 23% of the tax cuts they [McCain and Republican's] are proposing would go to households making more than $2.8 million under the McCain plan," he says. "That's a phenomenally large benefit for the super rich, beyond anything George Bush has proposed." " (1, 2) -By Jane Sasseen -BusinessWeek
Barack
Obama - John
McCain -  Hillary
Clinton - 2008
Election -  North
Carolina - Missouri
-  Montana
-  Virginia
-  Illinois
- Arizona
- New
York - Economy
- History
-  Gasoline
- Unemployment
"Obama Maps a Nationwide Push in G.O.P. Strongholds." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois] Senator Barack Obama’s general election plan calls for broadening the electoral map by challenging [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona] Senator John McCain in typically Republican states — from North Carolina to Missouri to Montana — as Mr. Obama seeks to take advantage of voter turnout operations built in nearly 50 states in the long Democratic nomination battle, aides said." ... "On Monday, Mr. Obama will travel to North Carolina — a state that has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 32 years — to start a two-week tour of speeches, town hall forums and other appearances intended to highlight differences with Mr. McCain on the economy. From there, he heads to Missouri, which last voted for a Democrat in 1996. His first campaign swing after securing the Democratic presidential nomination last week was to Virginia, which last voted Democratic in 1964." ... "With [New York] Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton now having formally bowed out of the race and thrown her backing to him, Mr. Obama wants to define the faltering economy as the paramount issue facing the country, a task probably made easier by ever-rising gasoline prices and the sharp rise in unemployment the government reported on Friday." (1, 2) -By Adam Nagourney and Jeff Zeleny with contributions by Jim Rutenberg -NYTimes
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Kid
- Safe
- Health
- Consumer
- Manufacturers
- Mo
- 
Vt
- 
Me
- US
- 
China
- "U.S.-Made
Toys Benefit From China’s Troubles." ... "Whittle
Shortline Railroad, a company in Louisiana, Mo. [Missouri], that makes
wooden trains and trucks, posted a banner on its Web site several weeks
ago: “100 percent kid-safe,” it read, “with lead-free paints.” Mike Whitworth,
the company’s owner, said the recent recalls of Chinese-made toys found
to contain lead in their paint has been good for his business. Very good."
... "With about 80 percent of the toys sold in the United States manufactured
in China, the relatively few manufacturers of American-made toys who remain
have relied to some extent on snob appeal and survived mostly by emphasizing
the quality of their products — even if they cost more money." ... "But
some are now pointing to another competitive advantage: you can count on
them to be lead free." ... "“It’s created a lot of buzz,” said Mike Rainville,
owner of Maple Landmark toys in Middlebury, Vt. [Vermont], who said his
company had experienced a “nudge” in sales." ... "Sue Dennison, co-owner
of Roy Toy, which is based in East Machias, Me. [Maine], said orders were
up about 25 percent over the last several weeks." -By
Andrew Martin -NYTimes
US
- Iraq
- 
Afghanistan
- Government
- Military
- 
Accounting
- Politics
- Lawmakers
- History
- Missouri
- Virginia
- "Freshmen
Senate Democrats seek panel to probe Iraq contracting."
... "Summoning the ghost of Harry Truman, the Senate's freshman Democrats
on Wednesday called for the creation of an independent, bipartisan commission
to investigate wartime profiteering in Iraq." ... "Truman was a freshman
senator from Missouri in 1941 when he led an inquiry into waste and abuse
in government contracting during World War II." ... "Under the 2007 version
of his effort, spearheaded by [Democratic Senators] Sens. Claire McCaskill
of Missouri and Jim Webb of Virginia, the proposed commission would investigate
the mismanagement of private contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, which
has resulted in $9 billion in taxpayer dollars unaccounted for." ... "McCaskill,
a former state auditor who uses Truman's old Senate desk, said at a press
conference of freshmen lawmakers, "I realized we had the same problem in
this war that Harry Truman found in World War II, except that it's on steroids.
It's out of control."" -By David
Goldstein -McClatchyDC.com
2008
Election - Politics
- 
Utah
- Massachusetts
- Missouri
- "Romney’s
Run Has Mormons Wary of Scrutiny." ... "In this wide
[Utah] valley where the twin spires of the Mormon temple dominate the landscape
and some neighborhoods have a Mormon chapel every few blocks, [2008 election
Presidential candidate] Mitt Romney’s bid for president is both a proud
sign of progress and a cause of trepidation." ... "John Hatch, 30, a history
student at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, said, “What most Mormons
desire is acceptance.”" ... "“We see ourselves as normal,” Mr. Hatch said.
“We struggle with those outsiders who see us as weird — the magic underwear
stuff,” a reference to the ritual garments that Mormons are supposed to
wear under their clothing." ... "Some Mormons have watched with concern
how Mr. Romney has responded to grilling by interviewers about his church’s
distinctive doctrines." ... "Mr. Romney has been questioned about the Mormon
definition of God, polygamy, the location of Jesus’s arrival when he returns
to earth, and even a mysterious saying attributed to Joseph Smith Jr. called
the “White Horse Prophecy,” which some interpret as a prediction that when
the American Constitution is hanging “by a thread,” a Mormon will rescue
the nation." ... "Mr. Romney’s tendency to gloss over Mormonism’s history
and distinctive tenets has upset some fellow Mormons. Some said they cringed
when Mr. Romney said on “60 Minutes,” “I can’t imagine anything more awful
than polygamy.”" ... "Another case arose when George Stephanopoulos of
ABC News asked Mr. Romney about a Mormon teaching that Jesus will come
to the United States when he returns to reign on earth. Mr. Romney responded
that the Messiah will return to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, “the
same as the other Christian tradition.”" ... "[Utah radio host Tom] Mr.
Grover said some of his radio listeners were astounded." ... "“They were
just in disbelief, saying that’s not true, Jesus is coming back to Missouri,”
Mr. Grover said. “It’s the L.D.S. [Latter Day Saints] Church’s 10th article
of faith that Zion will be built upon the American continent.”" (1, 2)
-By Laurie Goodstein -NYTimes
Bradley
Schlozman
- Government
- 
US
Attorney - Politics
- 2006
Election - Missouri
- Civil
Rights - "Justice
official is said to have favored GOP loyalists."
... "In March 2006, [Bradley] Schlozman was given an interim appointment
as the U.S. attorney in Kansas City [Missouri], replacing [then U.S. Attorney
Todd] Graves." ... "Less than a week before the November [2006] election,
Schlozman obtained indictments of four members of the liberal activist
group Assn. of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, for allegedly
submitting fraudulent voter registrations. The Justice Department election
manual says prosecutors should refrain generally from bringing cases just
before elections, out of concern that the charges could affect voting."
... "ACORN itself had brought the case to the attention of authorities
after discovering that some of its employees were making up names of registrants
as part of a voter-registration drive." ... "Schlozman's office, apparently
in a hurry to file the case, got one of the names on the indictments wrong."
... ""It seems to me that the only way that could have happened was if
the subject of the investigation had not been interviewed. It seems to
me they were in such a rush to indict these people that they didn't bother
to interview them first," said Robert Kengle, another former Justice voting
rights official." ... "Missouri Republicans seized on the charges in the
final days of the campaign. Nevertheless, Missouri voters narrowly elected
Democrat Claire McCaskill over Republican incumbent Jim Talent, a victory
that sank GOP hopes of maintaining control of Congress." ... "In April,
the suit was dismissed by a federal judge, who ruled that the government
failed to produce any evidence of fraud or that any Missouri resident had
been denied the right to vote because of the alleged registration deficiencies."
-By Richard B. Schmitt
-LAtimes
Bradley
Schlozman
- 
Goodling
- 
Gonzales
- Government
- US
Attorney - Civil
Rights - Politics
- Missouri
- "DOJ
Probes Turn to Civil Rights Division: Judiciary Committee
to question ex-official [Bradley] Schlozman while internal investigation
looks at hiring practices." ... "Schlozman will testify Tuesday about his
activities not only in the Civil Rights Division but also in his brief
stint as interim U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Missouri, where
he replaced Todd Graves -- one of nine U.S. Attorneys to have been fired
by the Justice Department last year." ... "In particular, Democrats plan
to press Schlozman about his role in the hiring of career attorneys into
the voting and appellate sections of the Civil Rights Division, and whether
Schlozman inappropriately considered the political loyalties of candidates
-- a potential violation of the Hatch Act and civil service laws governing
federal hiring." ... "The allegations are similar to the admission last
month by Monica Goodling, the former senior adviser to Attorney General
Alberto Gonzales, that she had inappropriately taken politics into account
in making hiring decisions for career federal prosecutors and immigration
judges." ... "Congress, of course, isn't the only body reviewing Schlozman's
tenure at the Civil Rights Division. Last week the Justice Department's
Office of Professional Responsibility and Office of the Inspector General,
which are conducting a joint investigation into the U.S. Attorney firings,
announced that they had broadened their probe to include allegations of
politicization in hiring at the Civil Rights Division." -By
Jason McLure -LegalTimes.com
via -Law.com
US
- Iraq
- Military
- Political
- Censorship
- Law
- Missouri
- "Antiwar
to the Corps: Marine Reservist-Protesters Face Discipline."
... "Going on a mock patrol can get you in real trouble with the United
States Marine Corps." ... "In a case that raises questions about free speech,
the Marines have launched investigations of three inactive reservists for
wearing their uniforms during antiwar protests and allegedly making statements
characterized as "disrespectful" or "disloyal."" ... "Two of them were
part of the guerrilla theater squad of 13 Iraq Veterans Against the War
who roamed Capitol Hill and downtown Washington in March, clad in camouflage
and carrying imaginary weapons, to mark the fourth anniversary of the Iraq
war. A Washington
Post story about that protest is part of the evidence gathered by Marine
lawyers." ... "Adam Kokesh, 25, a graduate student at George Washington
University, faces a hearing Monday in Kansas City [Missouri], where the
Marines will recommend an "other than honorable" discharge from the Individual
Ready Reserve. He was previously honorably discharged from active duty
after fighting in Fallujah [Iraq] and receiving the Combat Action Ribbon
and the Navy Commendation Medal." ... "The case also raises a fundamental
question of interest to the roughly 158,000 men and women in the Marines'
and Army's Individual Ready Reserve: Are they civilians -- free to speak
their minds -- or not?" ... ""This case is about the Marine Corps seeking
to stifle critics of the Iraq policy by officially labeling civilian acts
of peaceful protest and political speech as misconduct and serious offenses,"
says Michael Lebowitz, Kokesh's attorney, who fought in Iraq as an Army
paratrooper ." (1, 2)
-By David Montgomery -WashingtonPost
Karl
Rove
-
Alberto Gonzales - Kyle
Sampson
- Bradley
Schlozman - Political
- US
Attorneys - Law- 
Enforcement
- 2006
Election - New
Mexico - 
Pennsylvania
- Wisconsin
- MO
- "White
House sought investigations of voter fraud allegations before elections."
... "Only weeks before last year's pivotal [2006] midterm elections, the
White House urged the Justice Department to pursue voter-fraud allegations
against Democrats in three battleground states, a high-ranking Justice
official has told congressional investigators." ... "In two instances in
October 2006, [Republican] President Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove,
or his deputies passed the allegations on to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales'
then-chief of staff, Kyle Sampson." ... "Sampson tapped Gonzales aide Matthew
Friedrich, who'd just left his post as chief of staff of the criminal division.
In the first case, Friedrich agreed to find out whether Justice officials
knew of "rampant" voter fraud or "lax" enforcement in parts of New Mexico,
Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and report back." ... "But Friedrich declined
to pursue a related matter from Wisconsin, he told congressional investigators,
because an inquiry so close to an election could inappropriately sway voting
results. Friedrich decided not to pass the matter on to the criminal division
for investigation, even though Sampson gave him a 30-page report prepared
by Republican activists that made claims of voting fraud." ... "While it
was known that Rove and the White House had complained about prosecutors
not aggressively investigating voter fraud, Friedrich's testimony suggests
that the Justice Department itself was under pressure to open voter fraud
cases despite a department policy that discourages such action so close
to an election." ... "Another former U.S. attorney, Todd Graves of Kansas
City, Mo. [Missouri], revealed this week that he was asked to step aside
for another candidate. He also said he had refused to sign off on a voting-rights
lawsuit, which another Justice Department official later approved in Washington.
The official, Brad Schlozman, later became Graves' temporary replacement."
-By Margaret Talev and Marisa Taylor
-McClatchy via
-RealCities
Alberto Gonzales - D
Kyle Sampson
- Missouri
- US
Attorney - Law
- "Number
of Fired Prosecutors Grows: Dismissals Began Earlier
Than Justice Dept. Has Said." ... "The former U.S. attorney in Kansas City,
Mo. [Missouri], Todd P. Graves, said yesterday that he was asked to step
down from his job by a senior Justice Department official in January 2006,
months before eight other federal prosecutors would be fired by the Bush
administration." ... "Graves said he was told simply that he should resign
to "give another person a chance." He said he did not oppose the department's
request, because he had already been planning to return to private practice.
He did appeal to Missouri's senior senator to try to persuade the White
House to allow him to remain long enough to prosecute a final, important
case -- involving the slaying of a pregnant woman and kidnapping of her
8-month fetus. Justice officials rejected the request." ... "The former
prosecutor's disclosure, in an interview on the eve of a second appearance
today by [Republican] Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales before lawmakers
investigating the firings, means that the administration began moving to
replace U.S. attorneys five months earlier than was previously known. It
also means that at least nine prosecutors were asked to resign last year,
a deviation from repeated suggestions by Gonzales and other senior Justice
officials in congressional testimony and other public statements that the
firings did not extend beyond the eight prosecutors already known to have
been forced out." ... "The same month he was asked to step down, Graves's
name was included in a Jan. 9, 2006, list assembled by Gonzales's then-chief
of staff, D. Kyle Sampson, of seven U.S. attorneys the administration was
considering forcing from their jobs. That April, Sampson sent another e-mail
noting that two of the prosecutors on that list had already left. Three
names, including Graves's, were redacted when Justice officials released
the January list." (1, 2)
-By Amy Goldstein and Dan Eggen with contributions
by Paul Kane -WashingtonPost
Missouri
- 
Weather
- Disaster
- History
- "Failing
Levees Spur Major Missouri Floods: Water Tops At
Least 20 Levees In Worst Flooding Since 1993." ... "At least 20 levees
have been overtopped as flood waters make their way down Missouri streams
and rivers, authorities said." ... ""It's a major flood," Suzanne Fortin,
a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill, said
Wednesday. "It won't be a record breaker, but it will be in the top three.""
... "The floodwaters would rank among the top three on the 102, Platte,
Grand and parts of the Missouri River near the cities of Sibley and Glasgow,
Fortin said." ... "And historic river levels have been reached on the Tarkio
River at Fairfax." ... "The Missouri River is at its highest level since
the 1993 floods, threatening small towns and even parts of Kansas City
and St. Louis, reports CBS
News correspondent Peter King (audio) [MP3]." (1, 2)
-AP via -CBSNews
Bradley
Schlozman - Political
- Civil
Righs - US
Attorneys - Law
- Enforcement
- Texas
- 
Georgia
- Missouri
- 2006
Election - "Missouri
attorney a focus in firings: Senate bypassed in appointment
of [Republican lawyer Bradley] Schlozman." ... "Todd Graves brought just
four misdemeanor voter fraud indictments during his five years as the US
attorney for western Missouri -- even though some of his fellow Republicans
in the closely divided state wanted stricter oversight of Democratic efforts
to sign up new voters." ... "Then, in March 2006, Graves was replaced by
a new US attorney -- one who had no prosecutorial experience and bypassed
Senate confirmation. Bradley Schlozman moved aggressively where Graves
had not, announcing felony indictments of four workers for a liberal activist
group on voter registration fraud charges less than a week before the 2006
election." ... "Republicans, who had been pushing for restrictive new voting
laws, applauded. But critics said Schlozman violated a department policy
to wait until after an election to bring voter fraud indictments if the
case could affect the outcome, either by becoming a campaign issue or by
scaring legitimate voters into staying home." ... "Schlozman is emerging
as a focal point of the investigation into the firing of eight US attorneys
last year -- and as a symbol of broader complaints that the Bush administration
has misused its stewardship of law enforcement to give Republicans an electoral
edge." ... "No stranger to election law controversy, Schlozman previously
spent three years as a political appointee in the Justice Department's
Civil Rights Division, where he supervised the voting rights section."
... "There, he came into conflict with veteran staff over his decisions
to approve a Texas redistricting plan and a Georgia photo-ID voting law,
both of which benefited Republicans. He also hired many new career lawyers
with strong conservative credentials, in what critics say was an attempt
to reduce enforcement of laws designed to eliminate obstacles to voting
by minorities." ... ""Schlozman was reshaping the Civil Rights Division,"
said Joe Rich , who was chief of the voting rights section until taking
a buyout in 2005, in an interview. "Schlozman didn't know anything about
voting law. . . . All he knew is he wanted to be sure that the Republicans
were going to win."" -By Charlie Savage
-Boston/Globe
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
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
US
- 
Mexico
- US
Immigration - 2006
Election - Politics
- California
- New
York - Texas
- Florida
- New-Jersey
- Illinois
- Georgia
- North
Carolina - Indiana
- 
South
Dakota - 
Delaware
- Missouri
- 
Colorado
- 
New
Hampshire - Ohio
- "Census
Shows Growth of Immigrants." ... "The number of immigrants
living in American households rose 16 percent over the last five years,
fueled largely by recent arrivals from Mexico, according to fresh data
released by the Census Bureau." ... "Coming in the heart of an election
season in which illegal immigration has emerged as an issue, the new data
from the bureau’s 2005 American Community Survey is certain to generate
more debate." ... "By far the largest numbers of immigrants continue to
live in the six states that have traditionally attracted them: California,
New York, Texas, Florida, New Jersey and Illinois." ... "Immigrants also
continue to flow into a handful of states in the Southeast, like Georgia
and North Carolina, a trend that was discerned in the 2000 census." ...
"But it is in the less-expected immigrant destinations that demographers
find the most of interest in the new data." ... "Indiana saw a 34 percent
increase in the number of immigrants; South Dakota saw a 44 percent rise;
Delaware 32 percent; Missouri 31 percent; Colorado 28 percent; and New
Hampshire 26 percent." ... "“It’s the continuation of a pattern that we
first began to see 10 or 15 years ago,” said Jeff Passel, senior research
associate at the Pew Hispanic Center, who has examined the new census data.
“But instead of being confined to areas like the Southeast, it’s beginning
to spill over into some Midwestern states, like Indiana and Ohio. It’s
even moving up into New England.”" ... "Over all, immigrants now make up
12.4 percent of the nation’s population, up from 11.2 percent in 2000.
That amounts to an estimated 4.9 million additional immigrants for a total
of 35.7 million, a number larger than the population of California." (1,
2)
-By Rick Lyman -NYTimes
Karl
Rove
- Stem
Cell - Health
- 
Science
- 
Oregon
- Missouri
- "Experts
rip Rove stem cell remark: Researchers doubt value
of adult cells." ... "When White House political adviser Karl Rove signaled
last week that President Bush planned to veto the stem cell bill being
considered by the Senate, the reasons he gave went beyond the president's
moral qualms with research on human embryos." ... "In fact, Rove waded
into deeply contentious scientific territory, telling the Denver Post's
editorial board that researchers have found "far more promise from adult
stem cells than from embryonic stem cells."" ... "But Rove's negative appraisal
of embryonic stem cell research--echoed by many opponents of funding for
such research--is inaccurate, according to most stem cell research scientists,
including a dozen contacted for this story." ... ""[Rove's] statement is
just not true," said Dr. Michael Clarke, associate director of the stem
cell institute at Stanford University, who in 2003 published the first
study showing how adult stem cells replenish themselves." ... "Dr. Markus
Grompe, director of the stem cell center at the Oregon Health and Science
University, is a Catholic who objects to research involving the destruction
of embryos and is seeking alternative ways of making stem cells. But Grompe
said there is "no factual basis to compare the promise" of adult stem cells
and cells taken from embryos." ... "Last week, the journal Science published
a letter from three researchers criticizing the claim that adult stem cells
are preferable to embryonic stem cells. The authors included Dr. Steven
Teitelbaum of Washington University in St. Louis [Missouri], who has used
adult stem cells to treat bone diseases in children. The authors wrote
that the exaggerated claims for adult stem cells "mislead laypeople and
cruelly deceive patients."" -By Jeremy Manier and
Judith Graham -ChicagoTribune
Ala.
- Wis.
- Mo.
- "After
long decline, murders rise in small cities." ...
"It's too soon to call it a trend, but last year's jump in murders - particularly
in smaller cities - has some police and crime experts worried." ... "Murders
rose 4.8 percent, the largest percentage increase in 15 years, according
to the preliminary FBI numbers released Monday. And while the number of
murders in the nation's largest cities barely changed, cities with smaller
populations saw a much sharper increase. Murders were up 76 percent in
Birmingham, Ala., 40 percent in Milwaukee [Wis.], and 42 percent in Kansas
City, Mo., and 12.5 percent on average for all cities between 100,000 and
250,000 people." ... ""This looks like something real," says David Kennedy,
director of the Center for Crime Prevention and Control at CUNY's John
Jay College of Criminal Justice. "It's usually very unwise to read too
much into the year-to-year movement. But within the general national decline
[in violent crime in the past decade] there has been a general trend in
the smaller jurisdictions and in rural areas that has been on the increase.""
-By Amanda Paulson and Sara Miller Llana -CSMonitor
Gordon
Smith - Money
- Politics
- 
Virgin
Islands - 
Vacation
- Lawmakers
- 
Idaho
- 
Oregon
- Montana
- 
Wyoming
- Missouri
- "Virgin
Islands Donors Invest In Key Senators." ... "Concern
is mounting that Senate support for the [United States] U.S. Virgin Islands'
efforts to reopen a tax loophole is being won with more than $235,000 in
campaign contributions." ... "Five senators identified by USVI [United
States Virgin Islands] representatives as allies in their campaign - Senator
[Mike] Crapo, a Republican of Idaho; Senator Gordon Smith, a Republican
of Oregon; Senator [Max] Baucus, a Democrat of Montana; Senator [Craig]
Thomas, a Republican of Wyoming, and Senator [James] Talent, a Republican
of Missouri - have each received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign
contributions from scores of USVI residents in the last year, according
to filings with the Federal Election Commission." ... "Lobbyists for the
USVI said yesterday that the donations resulted from fund-raisers held
by the lawmakers during trips to the Virgin Islands." ... "As The New York
Sun reported last week, the USVI is currently campaigning for Congress
and the Treasury Department to loosen restrictions imposed in 2004 on the
territory's Economic Development Commission - a program designed to spur
investment in the territory with tax incentives for individuals and businesses."
... "As the Sun reported in 2003, the program's tax breaks were taken up
by some of America's top money managers - including Richard Driehaus and
Jeffrey Epstein, who keep high profiles in Chicago and New York but declare
the USVI as their place of residence for tax purposes. The EDC [Economic
Development Commission] loophole allowed some wealthy Americans to dodge
almost 90% of their federal income tax bills." ... "According to FEC [Federal
Election Commission] records, Mr. Driehaus last year donated, as a USVI
resident, $2,000 each to the campaigns of Messrs. Crapo, Thomas, and Baucus."
... "Mr. Baucus received $66,500 from 52 USVI contributors. Mr. Crapo last
year received $39,000 from 27 USVI donors. Mr. Thomas received $21,000
from 16 USVI donors, and Mr. Talent received $38,600 from 30 USVI donors.
Mr. Smith raked in $47,000 from 48 donors. The numbers were first published
in the St. Thomas Source." ... "Contributions to Mr. Smith, in particular,
have drawn fire from a Democratic interest group, the Senate Majority Project.
The group, which notes that the USVI was Mr. Smith's fourth-largest donor
base by geography after Oregon, Washington, and Virginia, alleges that
Mr. Smith's support for reducing the EDC residency requirements contradicts
past efforts to keep American business from moving to more tax friendly
locales like Bermuda." ... ""Gordon Smith took a trip down to the Virgin
Islands, and came back with $47,000 and a new position on offshore tax
havens," the Executive Director of the Senate Majority Project, Mike Gehrke,
said in a press release from the group." (1, 2,
3)
-By
Meghan
Clyne -NYSun.com
Missouri
- Religion
- Government
- Law
- "State
bill proposes Christianity be Missouri's official religion."
... "Missouri legislators in Jefferson City considered a bill [HCR13] that
would name Christianity the state's official "majority" religion." ...
"The resolution would recognize "a Christian god," and it would not protect
minority religions, but "protect the majority's right to express their
religious beliefs." ... "The resolution also recognizes that, "a greater
power exists," and only Christianity receives what the resolution calls,
"justified recognition."" ... "[Missouri Republican] State representative
David Sater of Cassville in southwestern Missouri, sponsored the resolution,
but he has refused to talk about it on camera or over the phone." -By
John Mills -KMOV.com
Tom
DeLay
- Jack
Abramoff
- Money
- Missouri
- Ohio
- "Blunt,
Boehner Share Broad Network of Lobbyist Ties With DeLay."
... "Representatives Roy Blunt of Missouri and John Boehner of Ohio have
been among the key intermediaries between Republican lawmakers and lobbyists
since their party took control of the U.S. Congress in 1995." ... "Both
[Blunt and DeLay] men's political action committees employ Jim Ellis, who
was indicted along with DeLay. DeLay's PAC gave Blunt's committee a $150,000
donation in 2000, and Blunt's PAC gave $10,000 to DeLay's non-profit foundation
that same year. Both lawmakers' PACs have employed Alexander Strategy Group,
a Georgetown-based firm whose partners include former Abramoff and DeLay
associates." ... "In 1995, Boehner handed out campaign checks from the
tobacco industry to members on the House floor at a time when lawmakers
were considering eliminating a tobacco subsidy." -By
Laura Litvan -Bloomberg
Alaska
- Missouri
- Legal
- Environmental
- Politics
- "Alaska
oil-drilling measure may return." ... "Legislation
to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, apparently
scuttled in the House last week, may resurface quickly, Republican leaders
signaled Tuesday." ... "Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt, the acting majority leader,
told reporters there would be no attempt to reinsert the controversial
provision in deficit-cutting legislation pending in the House." ... "But
when asked about plans for a final House-Senate compromise measure, he
sidestepped. "It's too early to worry about" the final bill, he said of
a measure that is expected to be drafted in December."
-AP via -CNN
Tom
DeLay - Texas
- Missouri
- Business
- Secrets
- "DeLay
and successor Blunt swapped donations between secretive groups."
... "Tom DeLay deliberately raised more money than he needed to throw parties
at the 2000 presidential convention, then diverted some of the excess to
longtime ally [Missouri Republican] Roy Blunt through a series of donations
that benefited both men's causes." ... "When the financial carousel stopped,
DeLay's private charity, the consulting firm that employed DeLay's wife
and the Missouri campaign of Blunt's son [Missouri's governor] all ended
up with money, according to campaign documents reviewed by The Associated
Press." ... "The government's former chief election enforcement lawyer
said the Blunt and DeLay transactions are similar to the Texas case and
raise questions that should be investigated regarding whether donors were
deceived or the true destination of their money was concealed." -By
John Solomon and Sharon Theimer with contributions by David Lieb
-AP via -MercuryNews
Missouri
- Tom
DeLay - Law
- "Ethics
cloud hangs over new House GOP leader: He employs
adviser indicted with DeLay." ... "As he worked to unite the party and
turn its attention back to the legislative agenda, Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri,
DeLay's successor as majority leader, faced ethics questions himself."
... "Records on file with the Federal Election Commission show that since
2003, Blunt's political action committee has paid $94,000 in salary to
the consulting firm of Jim Ellis, a longtime associate of DeLay. Ellis
has been indicted in the same case as DeLay, for allegedly conspiring to
illegally influence the outcome of Texas legislative elections by channeling
corporate money to Republican candidates." -By Mary
Curtius -LAtimesvia
-SFGate.com
Missouri
- Illinois
- California
- Texas
- Tom
DeLay
- "Blunt
Will Seek to Continue Indicted DeLay's Political Agenda."
... "U.S. House Republicans chose continuity over change in selecting [Missouri
Republican] Roy Blunt, a long-time lieutenant to Majority Leader Tom DeLay,
to step into Delay's role after a Texas indictment forced him out of his
post." ... "Blunt, 55, the No.3 House Republican, won the support of the
party's 231-member caucus after social-conservative groups rebelled over
[Illinois Republican] House Speaker Dennis Hastert's initial plan to replace
DeLay with Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier [California Republican],
who has a less conservative voting record." ... "Blunt also has had his
ethics called into question. The Washington Post reported in 2003 that
Blunt tried to insert into a homeland security measure a provision benefiting
Altria Group Inc.'s Philip Morris unit. At the time, Blunt was dating a
lobbyist with the company. A top aide to Hastert stripped the provision
out, the Post reported." -By Laura Litvan
-Bloomberg
Tom
DeLay - Missouri
- Legal
- Politics
-"DeLay
is likely to see a surge in contributions: GOP lawmakers,
corporations are among the donors." ... "Tom DeLay will have an ample legal
defense fund with which to fight the criminal charge against him, and much
of the money comes from other Republican lawmakers as well as corporations
interested in a variety of legislation." ... "The fund has pulled in $1,089,871
since its inception in July 2000, according to Public Citizen, which has
tracked the donations using documents filed to the House Legislative Resource
Center." ... "DeLay's Republican colleagues in the House have given a sum
total of $389,500." ... "The top congressional donor is Rep. Roy Blunt
of Missouri, who is taking over as House majority leader." -By
Jessica Holzer -HoustonChronicle.com
Missouri
-
- Psychology
-
- Alzheimer's
- "Idle
brain invites dementia: Researchers say daydreaming
may cause changes that lead to the onset of Alzheimer's disease." ... "Scientists
have scanned the brains of young people when they are doing, well, nothing,
and they found that a region active during this daydreaming state is the
one hard-hit by the scourge of old age: Alzheimer's." ... ""We never expected
to see this," said Randy L. Buckner, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute
investigator at Washington University in St. Louis [Missouri]. He said
he suspects these activity patterns may, over decades of daily use, wear
down the brain, sparking a chemical cascade that results in the disease's
classic deposits and tangles that damage the brain." -By
Jamie Talan -Newsday.com
Missouri
- Psychology
-
- Alzheimer's
- "Study
offers insights on Alzheimer's roots: Disease targets
areas of the brain that are involved in daydreaming." ... "The brain areas
involved in daydreaming, musing and other stream-of-consciousness thoughts
appear to be the same regions targeted by Alzheimer's disease, researchers
are reporting in a study that offers new insights into the deadly illness's
roots." ... "The strong correlation between the two suggests there might
be a link between the sort of thinking that people regularly do when not
involved in purposeful mental activity and the degenerative disease that
is characterized by forgetfulness and dementia, said scientists who conducted
the federally funded study." ... "Randy Buckner, a neuroscientist at Washington
University in St. Louis [Missouri], said the implications of the finding
are far from clear." -By Shankar Vedantam-WashingtonPost
via -HoustonChronicle.com
ELECTION
2004 - "Gephardt
Formally Opens Presidential Campaign." ... "Democrat
Richard Gephardt formally launched his 2004 presidential campaign on Wednesday,
blasting the Bush administration's economic policies and promising to lead
a crusade to "put hard-working Americans first."" ... "In the packed gymnasium
of his former elementary school in south St. Louis, the Missouri congressman
stressed his working-class Midwestern roots and said the nation could not
afford four more years of President Bush." -By John
Whitesides -Reuters
via -ABCNEWS.com
