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HavenWorks.com/nevada Nevada News |
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Nevada News, Nevada State News, Nevada capital: Carson City, NV News |
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 US
States
Nevada Flag Detail: 
Nevada capital: Carson City US
Capitals
NV: Nevada Nev. State
Abbr.
Nevada state is bordered by the states of Utah (east), Arizona (southeast), California (southwest and west), Oregon, and Idaho (north). Nevada Archive ~~~~~~~~~~~ |
 Nevada
NEVADA News:
 Financial
- Crisis
-  Politics
-  Sports
-  Entertainment
- Marketing
-  Trip
-  History
- Consumers
-  Government
-  Lawmakers
-  Obama
-Nevada
-  New
York
"Unapologetic CEOs: What Did the Banks Do With Your Cash? Bank CEOs [Chief Executive Officer], With $125 Billion in Taxpayer Money in Hand, Testify and Defend Before Congress." ... "The heads of eight major banks that received $125 billion in taxpayer bailout funds were largely unapologetic for their role in helping to create the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression as they testified before Congress this morning." ... "The CEOs said they are trying to lend out more money and pledged to return to profit, be more transparent and repay taxpayers as soon as possible." ... "But for the most part, the CEOs in their prepared testimony shrugged off recent criticism about the high level of pay within their firms, the use of luxury jets and posh trips to Las Vegas or Monte Carlo [Monaco]." ... "Bank of America took heat recently for sponsoring a five-day carnival-like affair outside the Super Bowl. The event -- known as the "NFL experience" -- included 850,000 square feet of sports games and interactive entertainment attractions for football fans and was blanketed in Bank of America logos and marketing calls to sign up for football-themed banking products." ... "The eight financial firms received a combined total of $125 billion since October through the Troubled Asset Relief Program, commonly referred to as TARP." ... "Lawmakers have expressed outrage that the funds are not fulfilling their purpose of increasing the flow of credit to consumers. They point to a report released last month by the New York state comptroller that said Wall Street firms had handed out $18 billion in bonuses last year." ... "That news led [Democratic] President Obama to impose new restrictions on executive compensation for banks that receive money through the TARP in the future." ... "In the face of pressure from Washington, Citigroup recently scrapped plans to purchase a $50 million luxury jet." (1, 2, 3, 4) -By Matthew Jaffe and Scott Mayerowitz -ABCNEWS.com 
 Illinois
- Law
-  Enforcement
- Nevada
"All 50 Dem Senators Call On Blagojevich To Step Down." ... "Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean issued a statement calling for Blagojevich's resignation:" "The arrest of and complaint against [Illinois Democratic Governor] Gov. Blagojevich raises serious concerns about his ability to effectively represent the people of Illinois. The conduct alleged represents a disgraceful abuse of the public trust. In the interest of the people of Illinois and all Americans, he should resign immediately. If he does not, I hope the Illinois legislature will take action.""All fifty members of the Democratic Senate caucus have signed [Nevada Democratic Senator and] Majority Leader Harry Reid's letter calling on Gov. Rod Blagojevich to step down from his post and refrain from appointing anyone to the vacated Illinois Senate seat, a source confirms." ... "It is also the first public indication that the Senate will take constitutional provisions to untangle any political appointment made by the embattled governor -- a legal maneuver that various scholars have said is well within the body's rights." ... "Here is the complete letter." "Dear Governor Blagojevich:"" -By Sam Stein -HuffingtonPost.com 
 Georgia
- Nevada
- 2008
Election - Politics
"RNC gives NRSC $2 million for GA runoff." ... "[Nevada Republican Senator] Sen. John Ensign said Wednesday that the Republican National Committee (RNC) has transferred $2 million earmarked for the Senate runoff in Georgia to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which was $4 million in debt after [2008] Election Day." ... "The committee has already launched a $700,000 ad buy in the Georgia race, which pits [Georgia Republican Senator] Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga. [Republican-Georgia]) against former state [Georgia State Democratic Representative] Rep. Jim Martin (D [Democratic])." -By Aaron Blake -TheHill.com
 Auto
- Industry
-  Manufacturing
-  Jobs
-  Fuel
-  Retirees
-  Health
Care -  California
- Nevada
-  Henry
Paulson
"Dem Leaders Want Bush To Aid Auto Industry." ... "Democratic leaders in Congress asked the [Republican President] Bush administration on Saturday to provide more aid to the struggling auto industry, which is bleeding cash and jobs as sales have dropped to their lowest level in a quarter-century." ... "House Speaker [and California Democratic Representative] Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader [and Nevada Democratic Senator] Harry Reid said in a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson that the administration should consider expanding the $700 billion bailout to include car companies." ... ""A healthy automobile manufacturing sector is essential to the restoration of financial market stability, the overall health of our economy, and the livelihood of the automobile sector's work force," they wrote. "The economic downturn and the crisis in our financial markets further imperiled our domestic automobile industry and its work force."" ... "Automakers already want an additional $50 billion in loans from Congress to help them survive tough economic conditions and pay for health care obligations for retirees." ... "The money would be on top of the $25 billion in loans that Congress passed in September to help retool auto plants to build more fuel-efficient vehicles." -By Deb Riechmann -AP via -HuffingtonPost.com 
 John
McCain - Barack
Obama -  Military
- Politics
- 2008
Election -  AZ
- Nevada
-  VA
-  TX
-  US
-  Iraq
-  Afghanistan
-  Vietnam
- History
"McCain Lies Again, Repeats False Claim He ‘Received The Highest Honor And Awards’ From Every Vets Group." ... "Yesterday, [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain (R-AZ [Republican-Arizona]) held a telephone town hall meeting, in which “thousands” of Nevadans — according to the McCain campaign — called to listen in. Among some of the hostile, pointed, and critical questions came one from a veteran, who challenged McCain on his voting record regarding funding for the Veterans Administration and veterans’ priorities:" "Q: I know you voted for lesser increases, and sometimes they were so much less, and our VA desperately needs the money. Can you tell me why you would vote for less money for the VA when there’s a war going on?""As ThinkProgress has repeatedly [-] documented, McCain is either willfully lying or he is delusional about his record — and the meaning of “highest awards.” In fact, McCain has recently stood on the opposite side of all three of the groups he mentioned:" "– Disabled American Veterans (DAV): In a list of 36 “key votes,” shows McCain “Voted Against Us” 16 times. ([2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama “Voted With Us” 17 times, and against only once.)""Just last week, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave McCain a grade of D for his record of voting against veterans. (Obama got a B.) The Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) have noted that in its “Key Votes,” McCain “Voted Against Us” 15 times and “Voted For Us” only 8. (Obama voted for VVA 12 times, and against only once.)" ... "Earlier this month, [Texas Democratic Representative] Rep. Chet Edwards (D-TX [Democratic-Texas]), a leading veterans advocate, excoriated McCain in an interview with ThinkProgress: “If you look at John McCain’s record on veterans issues, it’s a failed one.” It’s a sentiment IAVA executive director Paul Rieckhoff agrees with. Noting McCain’s dismal voting record on VA funding, Rieckhoff told ThinkProgress, “If he says the VA’s not working, it’s in part because he hasn’t funded it properly.”" "Update In an interview with Richmond's [Virginia's capital] WTVR on Friday, McCain repeated his favorite lie: "I've been a friend of the veterans for a long time and I've received every award from every major veterans organization." He added, "I'm proud of my support for the veterans."" -By Ali Frick -ThinkProgress.org
John
McCain -  Nathan
Sproul - Money
- Politics
- Investigation
- Law
- California
- Nevada
-  Oregon
-  Minnesota
-  Pennsylvania
-  West
Virginia -  Vermont
-  Massachusetts
-  Michigan
-  Libraries
- 2004
Election - 2008
Election
"McCain Employing GOP [Republican] Operative Accused Of Voter Registration Fraud." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain's campaign has directed $175,000 to the firm of a Republican operative accused of massive voter registration fraud in several states." ... "According to campaign finance records, a joint committee of the McCain-Palin campaign, the RNC [Republican National Committee] and the the California Republican Party, made a $175,000 payment to the group Lincoln Strategy in June for purposes of "registering voters." The managing partner of that firm is Nathan Sproul, a renowned GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] operative who has been investigated on multiple occasions for suppressing Democratic voter turnout, throwing away registration forms and even spearheading efforts to get Ralph Nader on ballots to hinder the Democratic ticket." ... "During the 2004 election, Sproul & Associates (the former name of Lincoln Strategy) was accused of attempting to destroy forms collected by Democratic voters in Nevada. That same year in Oregon, Sproul & Associates allegedly instructed canvassers to only accept Republican registration forms in addition to destroying those turned in by Democrats." ... "In Minnesota, meanwhile, Sproul's firm was accused of actually firing workers who brought back Democratic registration forms, while other canvassers were allegedly paid "$13 an hour, with the $3 bonus for every [Republican President] Bush, undecided or Ralph Nader voter registration." Similar problems related to Sproul & Associates popped up in Pennsylvania and West Virginia." ... "All of this was executed, it seems, through an elaborate web of deception. As Salon.com wrote back in 2004:" "Canvassers were told to act as if they were nonpartisan, to hide that they were working for the RNC, especially if approached by the media... In letters the firm sent to the libraries, Sproul misrepresented itself as America Votes -- a left-leaning national voter registration group not affiliated with Sproul -- but said that it was interested in registering "all those who wish to register to vote." Shortly after Sproul canvassers began working the libraries, though, patrons began complaining that the canvassers were being especially inquisitive about their political leanings, and some were pushing people to register as Republicans.""Sens. [Vermont Democratic Senator] Patrick Leahy and [Massachusetts Democratic Senator] Ted Kennedy sent a letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2004 asking that the Justice Department "launch an immediate investigation into the activities of Mr. Sproul and his firm." Three years later, members of Congress still weren't satisfied. Rep. [Michigan Democratic Representative John] Conyers complained in an Oct. 2007 letter that the Justice Department was not closely scrutinizing Sproul's efforts. "The alleged misconduct described by many witnesses," he wrote, "clearly suppress[es] votes and violate[s] the law."" -By Sam Stein -HuffingtonPost.com
Barack
Obama - 2008
Election - Federal
- Law
- Politics
- Investigation
-  Colorado
-  Indiana
-  Ohio
- Michigan
- Nevada
-  North
Carolina -  New
Hampshire Wisconsin
"Obama Campaign: Count Every Vote." ... "Republicans have been raising a huge stink about voter fraud in recent days, but the much bigger question on Election Day [2008] is whether every vote (or at least most of them) will actually be counted." ... "The New York Times published a shocking story last week, reporting that "tens of thousands of eligible voters in at least six swing states have been removed from the rolls or have been blocked from registering in ways that appear to violate federal law."" ... "The article continued: "Although much attention this year has been focused on the millions of new voters being added to the rolls by the candidacy of Senator Barack Obama, there has been far less notice given to the number of voters being dropped from those same rolls." The paper looked at six swing states: Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina. "Michigan and Colorado are removing voters from the rolls within 90 days of a federal election, which is not allowed except when voters die, notify the authorities that they have moved out of state, or have been declared unfit to vote. Indiana, Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio seem to be improperly using Social Security data to verify registration applications for new voters."" ... "The net effect: in Michigan 33,000 voters were removed from the rolls in August and in Colorado 37,000 voters were purged in three weeks since mid-July. Imagine this scenario--on Election Day thousands of voters will show up to the polls, only to be told they're not registered, leading to chaos and confusion, perhaps in large enough numbers to swing the results in crucial swing states." ... "It's a scary thought--and one the [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama campaign says they're preparing for. On a conference call today, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe and legal counsel Bob Bauer laid out their plans to ensure that every vote is counted." ... ""This has been an election of enormous interest to the American people and we think that's something that should be celebrated," Plouffe said. "Our opponents seem to have a different view."" ... "Obama counsel Bob Bauer pointed to examples in Montana, where Republicans have used change-of-address forms to improperly challenge new Democratic registrants (a federal judge called the GOP's tactics "political chicanery"); in Ohio, where Republicans challenged same-day registration and absentee voting (the 6th circuit court said the claim rested on "shaky ground"); in Michigan, where Republicans tried to use foreclosure lists to purge voters; and in Wisconsin, where the Republican Attorney General is suing the state's board of elections. (And just today, a GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] operative was indicted for lying to the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] about charges that he jammed the phones of the New Hampshire Democratic Party on Election Day 2002.)" -By Ari Berman -TheNation.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
 Pete
Sessions - Texas
- Nevada
- Political
- Entertainment
"'07 party hosted by Rep. Pete Sessions at Las Vegas adult club draws criticism." ... "A political party hosted by [Texas Republican Representative] Rep. Pete Sessions at a Las Vegas [Nevada] adult club has jaws dropping." ... "The event, in March 2007 at a club called Forty Deuce, raised money for the Dallas [Texas] Republican's political action committee, People for Enterprise Trade and Economic Growth." ... "Aides to Mr. Sessions, a self-described conservative, and others said the act was a mild burlesque show, but some conservative activists were aghast that the event was held at an adult club." ... ""What's the difference?" asked Cathie Adams, president of the Texas Eagle Forum. "I don't think that it's representative of the constituents of the district. I'm in shock."" ... "[Pete Session chief-of-staff Guy] Mr. Harrison said Mr. Sessions has held the Vegas event for four years." -By Gromer Jeffers Jr. -DallasNews.com
Pete
Sessions - Nevada
- Texas
- Politics
- Sports
- Entertainment
"GOP Rep. Sessions' Defends His Burlesque Fundraiser." ... "We had never heard of a member of Congress holding a fundraiser at a Las Vegas [Nevada] burlesque nightclub... until now." ... "And the culprit is card-carrying conservative [Texas Republican Representative] Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Tex. [Republican-Texas]). The same Pete Sessions who scolded Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake for forcing "their liberal values upon the rest of the country" after their infamous 2004 Super Bowl halftime striptease." ... "But that was then." ... "Now we learn that Sessions held a racey (for Washington) fundraiser for his leadership political action committee last year at Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce nightclub in Sin City [Las Vegas]." ... "Sessions' PAC, called People of Enterprise, Trade and Economic Growth, paid $5,378 to rent out the entire Forty Deuce club last year, according to federal election records." -By Mary Ann Akers -WashingtonPost
 Homes
- Nevada
-  Florida
- Phoenix
- Arizona
- Los
Angeles - San
Diego - San
Francisco - California
- Florida-Michigan
- Minnesota
- Illinois
- Ohio
- Georgia
- New
York - Seattle
-  Washington
- Massachusetts
- Portland
- Oregon
- Colorado
- Texas
- North
Carolina
"Home prices down 15.8% in past year, S&P says: Seven of 20 cities tally monthly price gains in May, Case-Shiller data show." ... "Prices in 10 cities fell 16.9% in the past year." ... "Prices thus are at the same levels as they were in the summer of 2004, which means four years of appreciation have been effectively wiped out. Prices are down 18.4% from peak levels seen two years ago." ... "Here's a list of the 20 cities in the Case-Shiller index with the annual decline through May: Las Vegas [Nevada], down 28.4%; Miami [Florida], down 28.3%; Phoenix [Arizona], down 26.5%; Los Angeles [California], down 24.5%; San Diego [California], down 23.2%; San Francisco [California], down 22.9%; Tampa [Florida], down 20.2%; Detroit [Michigan], down 17.4%; Washington [DC], down 15.4%; Minneapolis [Minnesota], down 14.8%; Chicago [Illinois], down 9.4%; Cleveland [Ohio], down 8%; Atlanta [Georgia], and New York [City, New York], both down 7.9%; Seattle [Washington], down 6.3%; Boston [Massachusetts], down 6.2%; Portland [Oregon], down 5.2%; Denver [Colorado], down 4.8%; Dallas [Texas], down 3.1%; and Charlotte, N.C. [North Carolina], down 0.2%." -By Rex Nutting -MarketWatch
John
McCain - Osama
bin Laden
- Afghanistan
- Iraq
- US
- Military
-  People
- Arizona
-  Del
- Nev
- 2008
Election
"McCain’s remark sparks an uproar." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain triggered a tempest over Iraq on Wednesday, saying it was "not too important" to set a timetable for American troop withdrawals from Iraq." ... "The presumptive Republican presidential nominee was asked on NBC's "Today" show if he had an estimate for when [United States] U.S. troops might leave Iraq." ... ""No, but that's not too important," he replied. "What's important is casualties in Iraq. . . . Americans are in South Korea. Americans are in Japan. American troops are in Germany. That's all fine. . . . The key to it is, we don't want any more Americans in harm's way."" ... "[Delaware Democratic Senator Joseph Biden:]" ... ""Sen. McCain's comment is evidence that he is totally out of touch with the needs of our troops and the national security needs of our nation," said Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del. [Democratic-Delaware]). "I think many of our brave soldiers and their families would disagree that it's 'not too important' when they come home."" ... "[Nevada Democratic Senator and] Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev. [Democratic-Nevada]) joined in. "McCain's statement today that withdrawing troops doesn't matter is a crystal-clear indicator that he just doesn't get the grave national security consequences of staying the course," Reid said in a statement. "Osama bin Laden is freely plotting attacks, our efforts in Afghanistan are undermanned, and our military readiness has been dangerously diminished."" -By John McCormick with contributions by Mike Dorning and Mark Silva -ChicagoTribune via -LAtimes
Special
Report -  J
Robert Flores
- Money
- Politics
- Secret
- Government-  Juvenile
- Justice
- Nev
"Special Report: Juvenile Justice." ... "The following documents accompany Youth Today's ongoing reporting on the [United States] U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention." ... "*From "At Justice, 84th Place Wins"" ... "OJJDP spreadsheets containing scores and place-rankings for bids submitted under various 2007 grant programs, including mentoring, research and delinquency prevention (winners are highlighted by red borders)." ... "*From "Former Justice Official Says Juvenile Chief Misled Her" and "A Friend at Justice"" ... "A memo that U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Administrator Robert Flores wrote to Regina Schofield last July, in which he explained how he chose 10 winning proposals from among more than 100 bids for the National Programs grants." ... "*From "Juvenile Judges Group Secretly Pays to Settle U.S. Fraud Claim"" ... "Under a set of confidential agreements, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges will pay $300,000 to settle allegations that it committed fraud to get grant money from the U.S. Department of Justice, while its director [Mary Mentaberry] will pay $16,500 to settle conflict-of-interest charges." ... "The Justice Department charged that the council falsified employee time sheets, billed the federal government for work by "ghost" employees, failed to disclose that it hired the spouses of employees and fired a worker who questioned those practices, according to settlements filed this month in U.S. District Court in Reno, Nev. [Nevada]" ... "Serena Hulbert, who alleges she was wrongfully fired from the council, filed a new lawsuit for wrongful termination on April 23, according to court records." ... "*From "Juvenile Justice, A Panel of One"" ... "Here are PDFs of the winning 2007 National Juvenile Justice Program bids." ... "Here is a detailed list of bidders for OJJDP's 2007 National Juvenile Justice Program grants (winners are highlighted)." ... "Here is a spreadsheet of all OJJDP 2007 discretionary grants." -YouthToday.org
 Mitch
McConnell -  James
Inhofe - Gas
-  Emissions
-  Global
- Climate
-  Environment
- Nevada
-  Kentucky
-  Oklahoma
- US
- Law
"Republicans stall climate change bill to punish Reid." ... "When [Nevada Democratic Senator] Sen. Harry Reid rose to become the majority leader in 2007, many believed he had met his match in the Republicans’ new Senate leader, [Kentucky Republican Senator] Mitch McConnell of Kentucky." ... "Shrewd parliamentarians both, they brought the prospect of each trying to outsmart the other on the Senate floor, promising good viewing." ... "Those skills were on display Wednesday when McConnell brought the Senate to a standstill." ... "Just as the chamber was about to begin a feisty debate on the most sweeping effort yet to address climate change, McConnell shut down the Senate by forcing full reading of the 491-page bill." ... "Rather than hearing a spirited battle over carbon emissions, gas prices and new fees for polluters, one lonely clerk after another read page after page of minutia to a nearly empty chamber." ... "In his own statement, Reid said: “Republicans are yet again doing everything in their power to slow, stop and stall. These petty, partisan tactics waste the American people’s time, and ignoring the crisis of global warming endangers all of us.”" ... "By early evening, with a few remaining tourists in the gallery watching the nearly empty floor, Republican [Oklahoma Senator] Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, the chamber’s leading global warming skeptic, sat in waiting, prepared to object should Democrats ask for the hours-long reading to end." -LasVegasSun.com
 Hillary
Clinton - John
McCain - Barack
Obama - 2008
Election - New
York - Arizona
- Illinois
- Nevada
-California
- "Pelosi,
Reid, Dean Go Public: Democrats Need To Endorse."
... "In the absence of a concession speech from [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Clinton on Tuesday
night, top figures in the Democratic Party went public, urging all uncommitted
officials to declare their presidential affiliations." ... "[Nevada Democratic
Senator and] Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, [California Democratic
Representative and] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DNC Chairman Howard Dean,
and an official with the Democratic Governors Association released a public
statement on Wednesday morning requesting that the party close its ranks
and prepare for the race against [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain." ... "The move, which
had been anticipated but seemed unnecessary following [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator Barack] Obama's clinching of
the nomination on Tuesday night, is an indication that few figures beyond
Clinton's utmost loyalists are willing to stomach a prolonged vacation
period for the New York Democrat to make up her mind."
-By
Sam
Stein -HuffingtonPost.com
Hillary
Clinton -  Accounting
- Politics
- Florida
- Michigan
- Iowa
-  Puerto
Rico - Nevada
- Washington
-  Maine
-Barack
Obama - 2008
Election - "Hillary:
Peddling pop vote canards to the end." ... "The facts,
which must be repeated:" ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate]
Hillary [Clinton] does not lead in the popular vote by any measure other
than her own idiosyncratic belief that Florida should count even though
it didn't and hundreds of thousands of Floridians didn't vote because they
were told it wouldn't; that Puerto Rico should count even though Puerto
Ricans can't vote in the general election ("lead us to victory in November"???);
that Michigan should also count even though it didn't and thousands of
Michiganders didn't vote because they were told it wouldn't and she was
the only person on the ballot; that Obama should get zero votes -- Zero!!!
-- from Michigan ["Uncommited" received 238,168 votes, Clinton received
328,309 votes]; and that Obama also should get no votes from four states
that he won [Iowa, Nevada, Washington, and Maine], because they held caucuses
and didn't count the popular vote." -By John Riley
-Newsday.com
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Barack
Obama - Hillary
Clinton - New
York
- 
South
Dakota - Illinois
- Nevada
- California
- US
- 
Israel
- 
Iran
- 
Syria
- Military
- 
Terrorism
- Politics
- History
- 2008
Election - "Bush
Assails ‘Appeasement,’ Touching Off Storm." ... "[Republican]
President Bush used a speech to the Israeli Parliament on Thursday to liken
those who would negotiate with “terrorists and radicals” to appeasers of
the Nazis — a remark widely interpreted as a rebuke to [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate and Illinois] Senator Barack Obama, who has advocated
greater engagement with countries like Iran and Syria." ... "The comments
created an angry tussle back home, as Democrats accused Mr. Bush of breaching
protocol by playing partisan politics overseas." ... "Mr. Obama delivered
a quick and pointed response, saying in an e-mail statement to reporters
that he had no intention of dealing with terrorists and accusing Mr. Bush
of using his visit, timed for the 60th anniversary of Israel’s independence,
to “launch a false political attack.”" ... "On Thursday, other Democrats
leapt to the Illinois senator’s defense. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada,
the Democratic leader, called Mr. Bush’s remarks “reckless and irresponsible.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said Mr. Bush had behaved in a manner
“beneath the dignity of the office of president.” Representative Rahm Emanuel
of Illinois, chairman of the House Democratic caucus, accused Mr. Bush
of violating the unwritten rule against playing politics overseas." ...
"[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York] Senator
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Mr. Obama’s rival for the Democratic presidential
nomination, joined him in taking issue with Mr. Bush. Weighing in from
South Dakota, Mrs. Clinton said: “President Bush’s comparison of any Democrat
to Nazi appeasers is offensive and outrageous, especially in the light
of his failures in foreign policy. This is the kind of statement that has
no place in any presidential address.”" -By Sheryl
Gay Stolberg and Jim
Rutenberg -NYTimes
WATCH
Pelosi's comment on Bush's criticism of Democrats while in Israel,
"What the President did in that regard is beneath the dignity of the office
of the President and unworthy of our representation at that observance
in Israel. And I would hope that any serious person would disassociate
themselves from the President's remarks who aspires to leadership in our
country."
John
McCain - Money
- Politics
- 2008
Election - Environment
- History
- Arizona
- Nevada
- Federal
- Real
Estate - 
Land
- "McCain
Pushed Land Swap That Benefits Backer." ... "[2008
Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John
McCain championed legislation that will let an Arizona rancher trade remote
grassland and ponderosa pine forest here for acres of valuable federally
owned property that is ready for development, a land swap that now stands
to directly benefit one of his top presidential campaign fundraisers]."
... "Initially reluctant to support the swap, the Arizona Republican became
a key figure in pushing the deal through Congress after the rancher and
his partners hired lobbyists that included McCain's 1992 Senate campaign
manager, two of his former Senate staff members (one of whom has returned
as his chief of staff), and an Arizona insider who was a major McCain donor
and is now bundling campaign checks." ... "When McCain's legislation passed
in November 2005, the ranch owner gave the job of building as many as 12,000
homes to SunCor Development, a firm in Tempe, Ariz. [Arizona], run by Steven
A. Betts, a longtime McCain supporter who has raised more than $100,000
for the presumptive Republican nominee. Betts said he and McCain never
discussed the deal." ... "The Audubon Society described the exchange as
the largest in Arizona history. The swap involved more than 55,000 acres
of land in all, including rare expanses of desert woodland and pronghorn
antelope habitat. The deal had support from many local officials and the
Arizona Republic newspaper for its expansion of the Prescott National Forest.
But it brought an outcry from some Arizona environmentalists when it was
proposed in 2002, partly because it went through Congress rather than a
process that allowed more citizen input." ... "Although the bill called
for the two parcels to be of equal value, a federal forestry official told
a congressional committee that he was concerned that "the public would
not receive fair value" for its land. A formal appraisal has not yet begun.
A town official opposed to the swap said other Yavapai Ranch land sold
nine years ago for about $2,000 per acre, while some of the prime commercial
land near a parcel that the developers will get has brought as much as
$120,000 per acre." ... "In an interview, Betts said there is "absolutely
no" connection between his contributions to McCain's presidential bids
and the deal involving rancher Fred Ruskin and the Yavapai Ranch Limited
Partnership." ... "Betts is among a string of donors who have benefited
from McCain-engineered land swaps. In 1994, the senator helped a lobbyist
for land developer Del Webb Corp. pursue an exchange in the Las Vegas [Nevada]
area, according to the Center for Public Integrity. McCain sponsored two
bills, in 1991 and 1994, sought by donor Donald R. Diamond that yielded
the developer thousands of acres in trade for national parkland." ... "In
the late 1990s, McCain promoted a deal in Arizona's Tonto National Forest
involving property part-owned by Great American Life Insurance, a company
run by billionaire Carl H. Lindner Jr., a prolific contributor to national
political parties and presidential candidates." ... "In Arizona, SunCor
is a subsidiary of Pinnacle West, the state's largest power company. Betts,
as Ruskin described him, "politically is a very powerful guy in the state.""
... "Officials from the company and its subsidiaries have accounted for
$100,000 in contributions to McCain's political campaigns over the years,
records show." (1, 2)
-By Matthew Mosk with contributions by Alice Crites
-WashingtonPost
Ron
Paul - John
McCain - Nev
- 2008
Election - "Nev.
GOP recesses state convention, angering Paul supporters."
... "Outmaneuvered by raucous [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate]
Ron Paul supporters, Nevada Republican Party leaders abruptly shut down
their state convention and now must resume the event to complete a list
of 31 delegates to the GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] national convention."
... "Outnumbered supporters of expected [2008 Election] Republican presidential
nominee John McCain faced off Saturday against well-organized Paul supporters."
... ""I've seen factions walk out. I've never seen a party walk out," said
Jeff Greenspan, regional coordinator for the Paul campaign."
-AP via -SeattleTimes
John
McCain - Barack
Obama - Hillary
Clinton - Working
- 
Women
- Families
- Poverty
- Homes
- Gasoline
- 
Groceries
- Corporate
- Politics
- Arizona
- Nev
- Illinois
- New
York - New
Orleans - 
Louisiana
- 2008
Election - "McCain
opposes equal pay bill in Senate." ... "Republican
[2008 Election Presidential Candidate and Arizona] Sen. John McCain, campaigning
through poverty-stricken cities and towns, said Wednesday he opposes a
Senate bill that seeks equal pay for women because it would lead to more
lawsuits." ... "Senate Republicans killed the bill Wednesday night on a
56-42 vote that denied the measure the 60 votes needed to advance it to
full debate and a vote. [Nevada Democratic Representative and] Majority
Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.[Democratic-Nevada], had delayed the vote to give
McCain's Democratic rivals, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate
and Senators of New York and Illinois] Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and
Barack Obama, time to return to Washington to support the measure, which
would make it easier for women to sue their employers for pay discrimination."
... "McCain skipped the vote to campaign in New Orleans [Louisiana]." ...
""Senator McCain has yet again fallen in line with President Bush while
middle-class families are falling by the wayside," Clinton said in a statement
following the vote. "Women are earning less, but Senator McCain is offering
more of the same."" ... "Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Karen
Finney said: "At a time when American families are struggling to keep their
homes and jobs while paying more for everything from gasoline to groceries,
how on Earth would anyone who thinks they can lead our country also think
it's acceptable to oppose equal pay for America's mothers, wives and daughters?""
-By Libby Quaid -AP
via -SeattlePI
Consumer
- Economy
- Nevada
- California
- Florida
- "Foreclosures
jump 57 percent in last 12 months." ... "Home foreclosure
filings surged 57 percent in the 12 month-period ended in March and bank
repossessions soared 129 percent from a year ago, as homeowners struggled
to make mortgage payments, real estate data firm RealtyTrac said on Tuesday."
... "For the month of March, foreclosure filings, default notices, auction
sale notices and bank repossessions rose 5 percent, led by Nevada, California
and Florida, RealtyTrac said." ... "The rise in March to filings on a total
of 234,685 properties followed a 4 percent decline in February, RealtyTrac
reported." ... "RealtyTrac said the peak has yet to be reached." (1, 2,
3)
-By Lynn Adler with contributions by Leslie Adler
-Reuters
Home-Prices
- History
- Seattle
- Washington
- Portland
- Ore
- Nevada
- Florida
- Phoenix
- Arizona
- San
Diego - California
- Michigan
- NC
- "U.S.
home prices fall 10.7% in January, Seattle's drop 1.3%."
... "U.S. [United States] home prices fell 10.7 percent in January from
the same month last year, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller
home-price index of 20 cities, which saw the steepest decline in the two-decade
history of the index." ... "Seattle[Washington]-area home prices were among
the decliners, although the annual drop was a slight 1.3 percent. Only
Portland, Ore. [Oregon], posted a smaller annual decline, 0.5 percent."
... "Worst hit were Las Vegas [Nevada] and Miami [Florida], both reporting
19.3 percent drops, as the regions are still paying the price for rampant
speculation and overbuilding during the boom years. Those cities and 14
others — including Phoenix [Arizona], San Diego [California] and Detroit
[Michigan] — posted record lows." ... "Only Charlotte, N.C. [North Carolina],
squeaked by as a gainer in the Case-Shiller index, with a 1.8 percent increase
in January compared with a year earlier." -By Vinnee
Tong with contributions by Dan Caterinicchia
-AP via -SeattleTimes
Hillary
Clinton - Barack
Obama
- Nevada
- New
York
- Illinois
- 
Wyoming
- 2008
Election - "Reid
defends Nevada caucus." ... "[Nevada Democratic Senator]
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Wednesday defended his state’s
January caucus, saying it created a “tremendous sea change on how politics
are looked at in Nevada.”" ... "His comments came as the campaign for [2008
Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary
Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.[Democratic-New York]) has increasingly criticized
the caucus system, which has favored [2008 Election Democratic Presidential
Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.[Democratic-Illinois])
in the two senators’ quest for their party’s presidential nomination. Clinton
won the popular vote in the Nevada caucus, but she has fallen short on
a number of other caucuses, including Saturday’s in Wyoming." ... "“In
a period of an hour, we had 30,000 new Democrats in Nevada,” Reid said
in defending the Nevada caucus on Wednesday. “We had tremendous new participation
we’ve never had before.”" -By Manu Raju
-TheHill.com
US
- Iran
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Politics
- Nevada
- "Fallon
resigns as chief of U.S. forces in Middle East."
... "[Admiral] Adm. William Fallon has resigned as chief of U.S. [United
States] forces in the Middle East and Central Asia after more than a year
in the post, citing what he called an inaccurate perception that he is
at odds with the [Republican President] Bush administration over Iran."
... "Fallon, the head of U.S. Central Command, was the subject of a recent
Esquire magazine profile ["The Man Between War and Peace"] that portrayed
him as resisting pressure for military action against Iran, which the Bush
administration accuses of trying to develop nuclear weapons." ... "[President
Bush said of Admiral Fallon:] "He deserves considerable credit for progress
that has been made there, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan."" ... "[Defense
Secretary Robert] Gates said he will be replaced by [Lieutenant General]
Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, his deputy, who commanded an Army division in
Iraq in the early days of the war and led efforts to train the Iraqi military."
... "On Tuesday, Gates said, "We have tried between us to put this misperception
behind us over a period of months and, frankly, just have not been successful
in doing so."" ... "But [Nevada Democratic Senator] Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid said Fallon's resignation showed that independent views "are
not welcomed in this administration."" ... ""It is also a sign that the
administration is blind to the growing costs and consequences of the Iraq
war, which has so damaged America's security interests in the Middle East
and beyond," said Reid, D-Nevada." -CNN
Gordon
Smith - 
Abramoff
- 
John
Roberts - Ore
- Ariz
- Nev
- Georgia
- US
- 
UK
Scotland - Sports
- History
- Politics
"In the wake of the [Jack] Abramoff scandal, there's a greater-than-ever hesitancy among golfers to admit they play. [Republican lobbyist Jack] Abramoff is the former high-powered lobbyist who pleaded guilty in 2006 to charges involving fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials. Luxury golf junkets to Scotland were among the things that got him in trouble." ... "For now, mum's the word among many D.C. golfers. Even Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, a longtime player whose 14.5 Index hasn't been updated since 2000, declined to approximate his handicap, saying he hasn't been playing enough to have one. Same for [Oregon Republican Senator] Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore. [Republican-Oregon]) and [Arizona Democratic Representative] Rep. Ed Pastor (D-Ariz. [Democratic-Arizona]). Freshman [Nevada Republican Representative] Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev. [Republican-Nevada]), a member of the Republican "Ryder Cup" team, also declined to reveal a handicap. [former Georgia Republican Representative] Newt Gingrich, a proud 47-handicapper as a new golfer in 2005, doesn't admit to playing, either."" -By Jeff Mapes -Oregonian
Dick
Cheney
- Political
- Terrorism
- 
Eavesdropping
- 
Phone
Calls - 
Electronic
- 
E-Mails
- Corporate
- Government
- 
Intelligence
- Law
- Nevada
- Vermont
- "Bush
May Win on Eavesdropping by Evoking Terror Fears (Update2)."
... "[Republican] President George W. Bush, his popularity at low ebb,
may yet score another legislative victory by evoking fears of a new terrorist
attack to win stronger powers to conduct electronic eavesdropping." ...
"The Democratic-controlled Senate yesterday approved 68-29 a bill giving
the president expanded authority to intercept phone calls and e-mails of
suspected terrorists. The measure also shields phone companies from lawsuits
for helping Bush eavesdrop on suspected terrorists without court warrants
after the Sept. [September] 11 attacks." ... "Nineteen Democrats voted
with Republicans for the legislation that protects companies such as AT&T
Inc. [Incorporated] and Sprint Nextel Corp [Corporation]. from privacy
lawsuits seeking billions of dollars in damages. [Nevada Democratic Senator
and] Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid acknowledged that ``holding all
the Democrats together on this'' wasn't ``doable.''" ... "Bush renewed
his demand today for Congress to complete action on the measure promptly.
``Our intelligence professionals must be able to find out who the terrorists
are talking to,'' he said at the White House. ``Their goal is to bring
destruction to our shores that would make Sept. 11 pale by comparison.''"
... "The House version of the legislation eliminates legal protection for
the phone companies, putting it at odds with the Senate. The two houses
must now iron out their differences before sending the measure to Bush."
... "The current law authorizing electronic surveillance expires this weekend,
and House Democrats said they will vote today on a 21-day extension to
allow more time to consider the long-term legislation. Bush said today
that any further delay is unacceptable; and his spokeswoman, Dana Perino,
told reporters the president would veto any temporary extension." ... "Reid
accused Bush of trying to ``bully'' Congress into passing permanent legislation
and said the final bill ``will not be what the president wants.'' He said
if the current law lapses, it will be ``the fault of Bush'' and [Republican]
Vice President Dick Cheney." ... "[Vermont Democratic Senator and] Senate
Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont said yesterday the
[Republican President Bush] administration used ``fear and intimidation''
to win enactment of the current temporary law, which lets Bush conduct
electronic surveillance without a court warrant." -By
James Rowley -Bloomberg
Telecom
- Amnesty
- Corporate
- Government
- Spying
- Intelligence
- Politics- Investigation
- Censorship
- EMail
- West
Virginia - Nevada
- Noteworthy
- "Amnesty
Day for Bush and lawbreaking telecoms." ... "The
Senate today -- led by [West Virginia Democratic Senator] Jay Rockefeller,
enabled by [Nevada Democratic Senator] Harry Reid, and with the active
support of at least 12 (and probably more) Democrats, in conjunction with
an as-always
lockstep GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] caucus -- will vote to
legalize warrantless spying on the telephone calls and emails of Americans,
and will also provide full retroactive amnesty to lawbreaking telecoms,
thus forever putting an end to any efforts to investigate and obtain a
judicial ruling regarding the [Republican President] Bush administration's
years-long illegal spying programs aimed at Americans. The long, hard efforts
by AT&T, Verizon and their all-star, bipartisan cast of lobbyists to
grease the wheels of the Senate -- led
by former [Republican President] Bush 41 Attorney General William Barr
and former [Democratic President] Clinton Deputy Attorney General Jamie
Gorelick -- are about to pay huge dividends, as such noble efforts invariably
do with our political establishment." ... "It's worth taking a step back
and recalling that all of this is the result of the December, 2005 story
by the New York Times which first reported that the [Republican
President] Bush administration was illegally spying on Americans for many
years without warrants of any kind. All sorts of "controversy" erupted
from that story. Democrats everywhere expressed dramatic, unbridled outrage,
vowing that this would not stand. James Risen and Eric Lichtblau were awarded
Pulitzer Prizes for exposing this serious lawbreaking. All sorts of Committees
were formed, papers written, speeches given, conferences convened, and
editorials published to denounce this extreme abuse of presidential power.
This was illegality and corruption at the highest level of government,
on the grandest scale, and of the most transparent strain." ... "What was
the outcome of all of that sturm und drang? What were the consequences
for the President for having broken the law so deliberately and transparently?
Absolutely nothing. To the contrary, the Senate is about to enact a bill
which has two simple purposes: (1) to render retroactively legal the President's
illegal spying program by legalizing its crux: warrantless eavesdropping
on Americans, and (2) to stifle forever the sole remaining avenue for finding
out what the Government did and obtaining a judicial ruling as to its legality:
namely, the lawsuits brought against the co-conspiring telecoms. In other
words, the only steps taken by our political class upon exposure by the
NYT
of this profound lawbreaking is to endorse it all and then suppress any
and all efforts to investigate it and subject it to the rule of law." ...
"FDL has a petition,
jointly sponsored by me, directed at House members, demanding that
they reject this lawless, authoritarian Senate bill and defend their own,
previously passed bill (the RESTORE Act). I encourage everyone to sign
it. You can do so here."
-By Glenn Greenwald -Salon
Hillary
Clinton
- Barack
Obama
- John
McCain
- Government
- Economic
- Legislation
- Veterans
- Health
- Elderly
- Unemployment
- New
York
- Illinois
- Arizona
- Nevada
- 2008
Election - "Republicans
join to block stimulus bill." ... "The fate of $600-$1,200
rebate checks for more than 100 million Americans is in limbo after Senate
Republicans blocked a bid by Democrats to add $44 billion in help for the
elderly, disabled veterans, the unemployed and businesses to the House-passed
economic aid package." ... "The tally was 58-41 to end debate on the Senate
measure, just short of the 60 votes Democrats would have needed to scale
procedural hurdles and move the bill to a final vote." ... "[2008 Election]
Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton [and Senator] of New
York and [2008 Election] Barack Obama [and Senator] of Illinois flew to
Washington for the vote. GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican 2008 Election
Presidential Candidate] front-runner John McCain [and Senator] of Arizona
did not vote." ... "Supporters actually had 59 votes in favor of the Democratic
proposal, but [Nevada Democratic Senator Harry] Reid switched his vote
to 'no' at the last moment, a parliamentary move that allows him to bring
the measure up for a revote." -By Julie Hirschfeld
Davis and Andrew Taylor -AP
via -SeattlePI
Telecom
- Amnesty
- Corporate
- Government
- Intelligence
- Surveillance
- Wisconsin
- Nevada
- 
Connecticut
- "Feingold:
"I Really Do Disagree" With Reid On FISA." ... "A
long-debated provision over whether or not telephone companies would get
a free pass for aiding the U.S. [United States] government in warrentless
surveillance hits the Senate floor today. And it threatens to open up fissures
within the Democratic Party." ... "In an interview with the Huffington
Post on Thursday morning, [Wisconsin Democratic Senator] Sen. Russ Feingold,
who opposes granting immunity to those companies, expressed disappointment
that his party's leader, [Nevada Democratic Senator] Sen. Harry Reid, was
not doing more to help strike the provision from a newly considered version
of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act." ... ""Of course I have great
respect for the Majority Leader," said Feingold. "He is a good friend of
mine. But I really do disagree with his way of proceeding."" ... "At issue
is the likely passage of a version of FISA that contains retroactive immunity
over one that doesn't. Reid has said he supports the former, but legislatively,
the path has been paved for the passage of the latter. In addition, there
is debate over an amendment offered by [Connecticut Democratic Senator]
Sen. Chris Dodd, to strip immunity from any FISA bill. If that fails --
and it seems likely -- Dodd has threatened to filibuster the whole bill.
On Wednesday, Reid was interpreted as saying any such filibuster will be
the standing and talking variety as opposed to an agreed-upon 60-vote minimum
threshold. Feingold, who supports Dodd's stance, took slight issue with
that approach." ... ""We should have a normal process w[h]ere this is debated
based on a majority vote in the senate," said the Wisconsin Democrat. "That's
the way it should have been done and I regret that it's not being done
that way. Of course, I support Senator Dodd. He and I were principally
involved in making sure this didn't get jammed through before the holidays
and I will be supporting him again. But this decision does make it harder.""
-By Sam
Stein -HuffingtonPost.com
Mitch
McConnell - Noteworthy
- Government
- Intelligence
- Surveillance
- Corporate
- Telecom
- Amnesty
- Politics
- Nevada- Kentucky
- Vermont
- Connecticut
- Wisconsin
- "Your
Harry Reid-led Senate in action." ... "[Nevada Democratic
Senator] Harry Reid -- who has (a) done more than any other individual
to ensure that Bush's demands for telecom immunity and warrantless eavesdropping
powers will be met in full and (b) allowed the Republicans all year to
block virtually every bill without having to bother to actually filibuster
-- went to the Senate floor yesterday and, with the scripted assistance
of [Kentucky Republican Senator] Mitch McConnell and [Vermont Democratic
Senator] Pat Leahy, warned [Connecticut Democratic Senator] Chris Dodd,
[Wisconsin Democratic Senator] Russ Feingold and others that they would
be selfishly wreaking havoc on the schedules of their fellow Senators (making
them work over the weekend, ruining their planned "retreat," and even preventing
them from going to Davos!) if they bothered everyone with their annoying,
pointless little filibuster." ... "To do so, Reid announced that, unlike
for the multiple filibusters from Republican colleagues, he would actually
force Dodd and company to engage in a real filibuster. This is what Reid
said:"
Mitt
Romney
- Politics
- Massachusetts
- New
Hampshire - Nevada
- 
South
Carolina - 2008
Election - "More
than a dozen lobbyists working to raise money for Romney."
... "Former Bay State Gov. [Massachusetts Republican Governor and 2008
Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney, who has cast himself
as a Washington outsider and blasted his opponents’ ties to lobbyists,
has more than a dozen federally registered lobbyists raising money for
him and several others advising his campaign, records show." ... "At a
Nashua event the day before the New Hampshire primary, Romney said, “I
don’t have years and years of favors to repay, lobbyists who have raised
all sorts of money for me.”" ... "But at least 13 lobbyists work as so-called
bundlers - those responsible for prodding deep-pocketed donors and generating
vast sums of money for the candidate - according to records compiled by
nonprofit Washington watchdog Public Citizen." ... "Romney, who faces a
critical doubleheader in South Carolina and Nevada today, got into a tussle
Thursday with an Associated Press reporter over the issue. “I don’t have
lobbyists running my campaign,” Romney remarked. “I don’t have lobbyists
that are tied to my . . .” The reporter interrupted him saying, “That is
not true,” and naming [lobbyist Ronald C.] Kaufman, which provoked a tense
exchange." -By Jessica Van Sack
-BostonHerald.com
Duncan
Hunter
- Mitt
Romney
- 
Fred
Thompson
- California
- Nevada
- Wyoming
- Massachusetts
- 
Tennessee
- 2008
Election - "Poor
Showings Push GOP’s Hunter to Quit White House Bid."
... "California [Republican Representative and 2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate] Rep. Duncan Hunter dropped his longshot bid for
the Republican presidential nomination Saturday night after drawing minimal
support in the contests so far — including Nevada’s GOP caucuses, in which
he took just 2 percent of the vote." ... "Hunter did win one delegate in
Wyoming’s Republican county conventions on Jan. 5, where former Massachusetts
Gov. [Governor and 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt
Romney won eight and ex-Tennessee Sen. [Senator and 2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate] Fred Thompson won three." -By
Marie Horrigan -CQPolitics.com
John
Edwards
- Barack
Obama
- Hillary
Clinton
- 
Radio
- Ad
- Nevada- Illinois
- Iowa
- North
Carolina - "Edwards
hits Obama on independent ads." ... "[2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards said Friday that [2008
Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama needs to “speak
up, if he really means what he says” about ending divisive politics and
denounce a Nevada ad funded by an independent group that supports the Illinois
senator’s presidential bid." ... ""Everyone pledged that this kind of divisive
politics that divides the Democratic Party, and could divide America, would
come to an end. [Senator] Sen. Obama made that pledge, I was sitting five
feet from him when he made it," Edwards told the crowd at a Nevada campaign
event." ... "“And now it turns out that in the last 24 hours there's a
radio ad, a malicious radio ad, attacking [Senator] Sen. Clinton. That
is exactly the kind of divisive politics. It's being run right here, in
Las Vegas [Nevada]. I denounce it. This kind of ad, I don't care who's
doing it — in this case it's [Senator] Sen. Obama's supporters — but this
sort of thing needs to stop.["]" ... "“And from what I've seen, [Senator]
Sen. Obama has not said a single word about this. Nothing. When two days
ago, three days ago, he said on a stage in front of America and said, 'This
kind of politics has no place in America,’” said Edwards." ... "“He should
speak up, if he really means what he says, and this is not just talk, he
should speak up and denounce this type of divisive politics.”" ... "John
Edwards was criticized by Obama in Iowa for not calling an independent
group that supported the former North Carolina senator to demand they pull
ads they were running in support of his candidacy." -By
Rebecca Sinderbrand -CNN
Hillary
Clinton
- John
Edwards
- Barack
Obama
- Race
- Language
- Radio
- Ads
- Nevada
- Union
- Money
- 2008
Election - Iowa
- North
Carolina - "Clinton,
Edwards campaigns blast radio ads backing Obama."
... "The campaigns of [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidates]
Hillary Clinton and John Edwards took aim at [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama Thursday over radio ads in Nevada
funded by a third-party group that is backing his candidacy." ... "The
buy is allegedly being funded by the Unite Here Campaign Committee on behalf
of the Culinary Workers Union, which has endorsed Obama." ... "On a conference
call with reporters late this afternoon, Hispanic supporters of Clinton’s
presidential candidacy criticized the union for incorrectly implying that
“Si Se Puede” – a slogan associated with the late activist Cesar Chavez
– was also the Obama campaign’s official slogan." ... "John Edwards was
criticized by Obama in Iowa for not calling an independent group that supported
the former North Carolina senator to demand they pull ads they were running
in support of his candidacy. “When Sen. Obama says ‘turn the page,’ he
obviously means turn to whatever page is most convenient. He loudly and
repeatedly attacked independent ads by unions in Iowa as the product of
special interests,” said Edwards Deputy Campaign Manager Jonathan Prince."
... "“But when a different outside group starts running ads on his behalf
in Nevada, there's not a peep from him or his campaign. It must be because
he's burning up the phone lines calling the head of Unite Here personally
to demand he pulls the ads down right away.”" -By
Rebecca Sinderbrand -CNN
John
Edwards
- Hillary
Clinton
- Barack
Obama
- Money
- 
Drug
- Oil
- 2008
Election - Health
- Home
- Law
- Union
- Nevada
- "Edwards
sharpens criticism of Clinton, Obama." ... "[2008
Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards sharpened his
criticism of Democratic [2008 Election Presidential Candidate] front-runners
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama Thursday night, saying they are helping
turn the party into the champion of special interests." ... "“When did
our party change? When did we become the party that took more money from
drug companies and insurance companies than the Republicans?” Edwards asked."
... "“Not when I'm president of the United States” he told hundreds of
supporters who jammed a Reno [Nevada] union hall Thursday night." ... "“The
person who raised the most money from oil and gas companies is not a Republican.
It's a Democrat. It's [Senator] Sen. Clinton,” Edwards said." ... "The
party's 2004 vice presidential candidate said the contributions make his
primary opponents beholden to big corporations, causing them to compromise
on such things as health care reform and [home] mortgage foreclosures."
... "“You can't take these people's money and challenge them and fight
them in a way that is going to be necessary to bring about change,” Edwards
said." ... "“We desperately need universal health care for every man, woman
and child in this country. Sen. Obama's plan is not universal. It leaves
as many as 15 million Americans uncovered,” he said." ... "Edwards said
he supports Clinton's call to freeze interest rates for five years and
place a moratorium on [home] foreclosures for 90 days but “we have to do
more than that.”" ... "“What she has not called for, because the mortgage
lending industry is against it, is allowing the bankruptcy court to restructure
these loans. We need to give the bankruptcy court the power to restructure
these loans,” he said. " -By Scott Sonner with contributions
by Ryan Nakashima -AP
via -SignOnSanDiego.com
John
Edwards
- Barack
Obama
- Hillary
Clinton
- 2008
Election - Working
- People
- History
- Companies
- Environment
- Law
- Nevada
- "Edwards
Jabs Obama and Clinton." ... "[2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate] John Edwards ripped [2008 Election Democratic Presidential
Candidate] Barack Obama [made in Nevada] for praising the way [Republican
President] Ronald Reagan brought about change when he was President of
the United States." ... "“When you think about what Ronald Reagan did to
the American people, to the middle class to the working people,” said Edwards."
... "“He was openly – openly – intolerant of unions and the right to organize.
He openly fought against the union and the organized labor movement in
this country. He openly did extraordinary damage to the middle class and
working people, created a tax structure that favored the very wealthiest
Americans and caused the middle class and working people to struggle every
single day. The destruction of the environment, you know, eliminating regulation
of companies that were polluting and doing extraordinary damage to the
environment.”" ... "“I can promise you this: this president will never
use Ronald Reagan as an example for change.”" ... "Edwards also took another
shot at Obama earlier in his speech:" ... "“There’s this back and forth
that’s been going over the last 24 hours or so between Senator Clinton
and Senator Obama, with Senator Clinton saying what we need in a president
is somebody who knows how to run the bureaucracy, who knows how to manage,
somebody who knows how to shuffle the papers around and Senator Obama saying
no, what we really need is a President of the United States who knows how
to give a good speech,” said Edwards. “Here’s what I think, I think what
we need in the next President of the United States is somebody with some
guts and fight and determination.["]" -By Aaron Lewis
-CBSNews
John
Edwards
- Barack
Obama - Hillary
Clinton
- Health
- Industry
- New
Hampshire - Nevada- South
Carolina
- Illinois
- 2008
Election - "What
if it's a two-man Democratic race? New Hampshire
may leave Clinton on the ropes, reshaping the contest." ... "Imagine a
whole new race for the Democratic presidential nomination: a two-man contest
between the 2004 vice presidential nominee, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential
Candidate] John Edwards, and the rookie phenomenon of 2008, [2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama."
... "If [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Clinton
were to suffer a defeat of large proportions on Tuesday night in the New
Hampshire primary, and if her star were to fade in the succeeding contests
in Nevada and South Carolina, she might either quit the race or cease to
be a dominant factor." ... "Elizabeth Edwards, the candidate’s wife and
most outspoken campaign advocate, pressed the critique of Obama on Monday
at a stop in Bedford, N.H. [New Hampshire.]" ... "“Sen. Obama, when he
was in the state Senate in Illinois, took money from the health insurance
industry at the same time that he was suggesting an amendment that was
favorable to the health insurance industry and was unfavorable to the people
of the Illinois,” she told a small crowd." ... "She also slammed Obama
for having a lobbyist as co-chairman of his New Hampshire campaign." ...
"[John Edwards strategist Joe Trippi:] “For a year everybody was told this
contest is between him (Obama) and her (Clinton),” Trippi argued. “And
during that year, the national audience has learned quite a bit about him,
most of it amazingly good: amazing speaker, incredibly inspirational —
and yet where is he nationally? He’s at 25 percent. The Rasmussen Poll,
which is the only national one I’ve seen since Iowa, has him at 25. I’ll
tell you why: They have massive doubts about this guy — on their own.”"
... "In other words, even without advertising from Edwards pointing out
flaws in the Obama image or record, many Democratic voters have doubts
about Obama." ... "“If you were going to fall under his spell, wouldn’t
you have done it by now?” asked Trippi." (1, 2)
-By Tom Curry -MSNBC
Money
- Politics
- Federal
- Housing
- Legislation
- 
New
Jersey - Georgia
- California
- Texas
- 
Utah
- 
Maryland
- Nevada
- Oregon
- Washington
- 2004
Election - US
- 
Netherlands
- "Lender
Lobbying Blitz Abetted Mortgage Mess: Ameriquest
Pressed For Changes in Laws; A Battle in New Jersey." ... "During the housing
boom, the subprime industry succeeded at more than just writing mortgages.
It also shot down efforts by some states to curtail risky lending to borrowers
with spotty credit." ... "Ameriquest Mortgage Co. [ACC Capital Holdings],
until recently one of the nation's largest subprime lenders, was at the
center of those battles. Working with a husband-and-wife team of Washington
lobbyists, it handed out more than $20 million in political donations and
played a big role in persuading legislators in New Jersey and Georgia to
relax tough new laws. Those victories, in turn, helped blunt efforts by
other states to crack down on reckless lending, critics of the industry
contend." ... "Home loans made by Ameriquest and other subprime lenders
are defaulting now in large numbers, roiling global credit markets and
sparking debate about whether regulators and lawmakers should have anticipated
the mess and taken action. A close look at Ameriquest's lobbying and political
donations shows how the subprime industry maneuvered to defeat legislation
that might have contained some of the damage." ... "Data from federal and
state campaign-finance records, Internal Revenue Service filings, and the
National Institute on Money in State Politics show that from 2002 through
2006, Ameriquest, its executives and their spouses and business associates
donated at least $20.5 million to state and federal political groups. In
comparison, over the same time period, Countrywide Financial, another large
subprime lender, gave about $2 million in campaign gifts, and spent an
additional $6.7 million lobbying in Washington, records indicate." ...
"Some of the giving by Ameriquest executives and associates was high-profile.
[Republican] President Bush received more than $200,000 for his 2004 re-election
campaign, and Ameriquest founder Roland Arnall and his wife, Dawn, contributed
more than $5 million to political organizations that backed the president.
Last year, [Republican] President Bush appointed Mr. Arnall ambassador
to the Netherlands, and his wife took over as chairman of Ameriquest's
parent company. California [Republican Governor] Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's
campaigns received at least $1.4 million, along with stacks of tickets
to a Rolling Stones concert that were used to lure big donors." ... "Last
year, ACC Capital, its [Ameriquest Mortgage Company] parent company, agreed
to pay $325 million to settle regulators' claims that it charged excessively
high mortgage rates and didn't adequately disclose loan risks. Some of
the state attorneys general who signed the settlement, including Greg Abbott
of Texas, received campaign donations from the firm. Utah's attorney general,
Mark Shurtleff, received a $1,000 contribution and Rolling Stones tickets."
... "Ameriquest also handed out Rolling Stones tickets to state legislators
in Georgia, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and California,
according to ethics records and local news accounts." ... "Federal lawmakers
didn't pose much of a threat to the subprime industry in recent years.
Members of Congress received at least $645,000 in donations from Ameriquest
and large sums from other big subprime lenders, Federal Election Commission
records indicate." ... "ACC Capital, Ameriquest's parent company, and its
executives gave more than $350,000 to Texas politicians in 2006, including
$100,000 to [Republican Governor] Gov. Rick Perry, according to state records."
-By Glenn R. Simpson -WSJ.com
Chris
Dodd
- Corporate
- Government
- Spy
- Law
- Intelligence
- Politics
- Telephone
- 
Internet
- E-Mails
- Electronic
- Civil
Liberties - 2008
Election - Foreign
- American
- Nevada- Conn
- Wisc
- VT
- Mass
- "Spy
law showdown postponed until next year." ... "Congress
won't decide until next year whether to pass a complex law that would let
telephone and Internet companies off the hook from lawsuits alleging illicit
cooperation with federal government spies." ... "In something of an unexpected
move, U.S. Senate Majority Leader [Nevada Democratic Senator] Harry Reid
took to the Senate floor on Monday evening and announced he would postpone
debate on the so-called FISA Amendments Act [FISA: Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act]. That bill, which has already been approved in a closed-door
meeting of the Senate Intelligence Committee, would grant such corporate
immunity and make it easier for the feds to snoop on phone calls and e-mails
involving foreigners and Americans without a warrant, drawing rampant criticism
from civil liberties groups." ... "Earlier
in the day, however, it appeared more certain that the Senate would
move ahead with a vote to approve the
controversial Senate measure, which would provide legal immunity to
electronic communications providers that have allegedly opened up their
networks to the National Security Agency and other federal spies since
the September 11, 2001 attacks. Above vocal objections from some Democrats,
the senators nevertheless voted 76-10 to limit debate and other stalling
tactics related to the bill." ... "But in the end, last-minute rallying
from Democrats opposed to the telecommunications immunity provisions applied
the necessary pressure." ... "Perhaps most notably, [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate and Connecticut Senator] Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.),
a presidential hopeful, devoted
nearly the entire day to delivering one impassioned speech after another
about his opposition to granting legal immunity to telecommunications companies
accused of providing illegal assistance to government spying programs.
Other influential Democratic senators, including [Wisconsin Democratic
Senator] Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.), [Vermont Democratic Senator] Patrick
Leahy (D-Vt.), and [Massachusetts Democratic Senator] Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.)
echoed his concerns at various points during the day." -By
Anne Broache -CNET
Mitt
Romney
- Religion
- 2008
Election - Nevada
- Op-Ed
- "Exclusive:
Romney Opposed Naming Muslim To Cabinet On Second Occasion, Witnesses Say."
... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney has
discounted appointing Muslims to his cabinet on more than just the one
occasion reported in a CSM [Christian Science Monitor ] op-ed yesterday."
... "The witness, Irma Aguirre, a former finance director of the Nevada
Republican Party, paraphrased Romney as saying [of Muslims]: "They're radical.
There's no talking to them. There's no negotiating with them."" ... "A
second witness, a self-described local registered Republican named George
Harris, confirmed her account." ... "The new accounts provided by the witnesses
lend credence to the now-notorious
account of a more recent private Romney event that appeared in the
Christian
Science Monitor yesterday that already caused an uproar." -By
Greg Sargent -TPMElectionCentral.com
Secret
- 
Rudolph
Giuliani
- Nevada
- New
York
- US
- 
Singapore
- 
China
- 
North
Korea - International
- Crime
- Law
- 2008
Election - "Giuliani's
business ties create challenge: Was a consultant
for controversial tycoon." ... "Nine days after registering his presidential
exploratory committee last November, [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate] Rudolph Giuliani appeared in Singapore to help a Las Vegas [Nevada]
developer make a pitch for a $3.5 billion casino resort." ... "Though the
bid ultimately failed, and there was nothing illegal about the involvement,
it drew Giuliani into a complex partnership with the family of a controversial
Hong Kong [China] billionaire who has ties to the regime of North Korea's
Kim Jong Il and has been linked to international organized crime by the
U.S. government." ... "Giuliani's participation as a security consultant
in the Singapore gambling venture illustrates the challenge he faces while
attempting to win the Republican presidential nomination with a law-and-order
message while maintaining a far-flung, international business portfolio,
an unknown portion of which remains in the shadows." ... "Even today, more
than a year after the former New York mayor signaled his intention to run
for the presidency, it remains impossible to fully evaluate Giuliani's
business dealings because he has declined to list all of the clients in
Giuliani Partners, the consulting firm he founded and heads." (1, 2,
3)
-By Andrew Zajac and Evan Osnos with contributions
by Rick Pearson -ChicagoTribune
Hillary
Clinton
- Barack
Obama
- Nevada
- 2008
Election - People
- Politics
- "Democrats
spar in Las Vegas [Nevada]." ... "Critical of [2008
Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary] Clinton’s failure to take a
firm stance on Social Security, an audience member’s question gave [2008
Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama the opportunity to chide
her on the notion that lifting the cap of incomes over $97,500 a year would
increase the middle class tax burden, stating, “Hillary I have heard you
say this is a trillion-dollar tax cut on the middle class by adjusting
the cap. Understand that only 6% of American’s make more than $97,000 a
year. So 6% is not the middle class.”" ... "“This is too important—this
is too important for us to pretend that we are using numbers like a trillion
dollar tax cut instead of responsibly dealing with the problem that Judy
asked for, and she said she wants a specific answer. And she said she wants
a specific answer and that’s what I provided. But understand that this
is the top 6%, and that is not the middle class,” Obama continued."
-KCRG.com
Hillary
Rodham Clinton
- Nevada
- 2008
Election - Woman
- "Clinton
shows she can take a punch in Vegas debate." ...
"In a town that's been known to rough up some pretty tough cookies [Las
Vegas, Nevada], [2008 Election] Democratic presidential candidate Hillary
Rodham Clinton - battered lately from some well-aimed political shots and
self-inflicted wounds - showed she could still rumble with the best during
Thursday's debate." ... "But her Democratic opponents also made clear that
the fight is far from over." ... "The debate presumably was about the seven
Democratic presidential candidates on hand, but to most political handicappers
here in Sin City, it was all about Clinton and whether she would emerge
from the two-hour bout still the title-holder." ... "The New York senator
appeared to relish the challenge when she kicked off the battle with a
wry observation. "This pantsuit, it's asbestos tonight," she told questioner
Campbell Brown of CNN in her first comment." ... "Later, she added, "People
are not attacking me because I'm a woman. They're attacking me because
I'm ahead."" ... "The debate's placement in the Silver State [Nevada],
whose Jan. 19 caucuses make it the third contest of the 2008 race, emphasized
Democratic Party officials' views about the importance of the West in the
presidential
race." -By Carla Marinucci
-SFGate.com
Randy
"Duke" Cunningham
- 
Brent
Wilkes - 
Jerry
Lewis - Duncan
Hunter
- 
Tom
DeLay
- 
Roy
Blunt
- 
Dennis
Hastert - Money
- Politics
- Lawmakers
- Travel
- 
Flying
- Government
- Military
- Intelligence
- San
Diego - California
- Texas
- 
Missouri
- 
Hawaii
- Florida
- Nevada
- 
Idaho
- Illinois
- "Witness:
Contractor Gave Lawmaker Perks." ... "[Former California
Republican Representative Randy "Duke"] Cunningham, a San Diego Republican
who held seats on the powerful House intelligence and defense appropriations
committees, was elected to eight terms before resigning in 2005. He pleaded
guilty that year to accepting $2.4 million in bribes from [Brent] Wilkes
and others and is serving an eight-year prison sentence." ... "[Wilkes
nephew and employee Joel] Combs testified Wednesday that his uncle communicated
with other prominent lawmakers, including California Republicans Jerry
Lewis and Duncan Hunter, former House Majority Leader [Republican] Tom
DeLay of Texas, Republican Whip [Missouri Representative] Roy Blunt, and
Sen. Daniel Inouye, a Hawaii Democrat." ... "But the relationship with
Cunningham was at the center of Wilkes' success in Washington, and Combs
said his uncle worked to keep the lawmaker happy - efforts that included
staking his nephew money to purposely lose in poker games with the lawmaker."
... "Combs recalled dinners at Washington's fancy Capital Grille restaurant,
shooting lessons, and trips to Florida, Las Vegas [Nevada] and Idaho provided
by Wilkes for the congressman from 1998 until 2002. During that period,
Cunningham made calls to Pentagon officials on Wilkes' behalf and helped
secure about $90 million in federal contracts for Wilkes' company." ...
"The perks included a $20,000 stay in a private villa at a resort in Hawaii,
where Wilkes, Combs and the congressman went diving - an expedition captured
in an underwater video that was played for jurors. Combs said he also hired
women from an escort service for his uncle and the congressman." ... "Wilkes
also paid to fly Cunningham and former House Speaker [Illinois Republican
Representative] Dennis Hastert from a golf outing in Palm Springs [California]
to San Diego [California] for a reception and then back to Washington on
private jets, Combs testified." -By Allison Hoffman
-AP via -Guardian.co.uk
US
- Iraq
- Military
- California
- Nevada
- NC
- "Petraeus,
Crocker Face Skepticism on Drawdown." ... "Plans
by [Republican] President Bush to announce a withdrawal of up to 30,000
U.S. troops from Iraq by next summer drew sharp criticism yesterday from
Democratic leaders and a handful of Republicans in Congress, who vowed
to try again to force Bush to accept a more dramatic change of policy."
... "A second day of testimony by Gen. [General] David H. Petraeus, the
U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker yielded some of
the most biting GOP [Republican] objections since the president announced
his troop buildup in January. Several Republicans joined Democrats in saying
that Petraeus's proposal to draw down troops through the middle of next
summer would result only in force levels equivalent to where they stood
before the increase began, about 130,000 troops." ... "[House Speaker,
California Democratic Representative Nancy] Pelosi said she told Bush that
he was essentially endorsing a 10-year "open-ended commitment." [Senate
Majority Leader, Nevada Democratic Senator Harry] Reid said the president
wants "no change in mission -- this is more of the same."" ... "Even [North
Carolina Republican Senator] Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.), a mainstream
conservative who has never publicly strayed from the administration's position
on Iraq, made it clear that she would now support "what some have called
action-forcing measures."" ... ""The difficulty of the current American
and Iraqi situation is rooted in large part in the Bush administration's
substantial failure to understand the full implications of our military
invasion and the litany of mistakes made at the outset of the war," Dole
said." (1, 2)
-By Michael Abramowitz and Jonathan Weisman
-WashingtonPost
US
- Iraq
- Military
- Intelligence
- Political
- Marketing
- Lawmakers
- Va
- Calif
- Nev
- "Lawmakers
Describe 'Being Slimed in the Green Zone'." ... "The
sheets of paper seemed to be everywhere the lawmakers went in the Green
Zone, distributed to Iraqi officials, U.S. officials and uniformed military
of no particular rank. So when [Virginia Democratic Representative] Rep.
James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) asked a soldier last weekend just what he was
holding, the congressman was taken aback to find out." ... "In the soldier's
hand was a thumbnail biography, distributed before each of the congressmen's
meetings in Baghdad, which let meeting participants such as that soldier
know where each of the lawmakers stands on the war. "Moran on Iraq policy,"
read one section, going on to cite some the congressman's most incendiary
statements, such as, "This has been the worst foreign policy fiasco in
American history."" ... "The bio of [California Democratic Representative]
Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher (D-Calif.) -- "TAU (rhymes with 'now')-sher," the
bio helpfully relates -- was no less pointed, even if she once supported
the war and has taken heat from liberal Bay Area constituents who remain
wary of her position. "Our forces are caught in the middle of an escalating
sectarian conflict in Iraq, with no end in sight," the bio quotes." ...
""This is beyond parsing. This is being slimed in the Green Zone," Tauscher
said of her bio." ... "Brief, choreographed and carefully controlled, the
codels (short for congressional delegations) often have showed only what
the Pentagon and the [Republican President] Bush administration have wanted
the lawmakers to see. At one point, as Moran, Tauscher and [Nevada Republican
Representative] Rep. Jon Porter (R-Nev.) were heading to lunch in the fortified
Green Zone, an American urgently tried to get their attention, apparently
to voice concerns about the war effort, the participants said. Security
whisked the man away before he could make his point." ... "Tauscher called
it "the Green Zone fog."" ... ""Spin City," Moran grumbled. "The Iraqis
and the Americans were all singing from the same song sheet, and it was
deliberately manipulated."" -By Jonathan Weisman
-WashingtonPost
US
- 
Sudan
- Iran
- China
- Mitt
Romney
- Oil
- Money
- People
- Human
Rights - 2008
Election - Massachusetts
- California
- Iowa
- Nevada
- "Romney
portfolio has link to Sudan: The GOP candidate's
trustee has recently sold other potentially controversial holdings." ...
"[2008 election] Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney divested from
companies doing business in Iran, but he still holds stock in an oil company
that does business in Sudan -- where the government is accused of sponsoring
genocide -- his financial disclosure report filed Monday shows." ... "Romney,
the wealthiest presidential contender, is worth $190 million to $250 million,
with investments spread among stocks, treasuries and high-end funds. R.
Bradford Malt, Romney's attorney, acts as sole trustee of what until Monday
was a blind trust, and makes investment decisions." ... "His wealth is
key to his candidacy. As he did when he successfully ran for Massachusetts
governor in 2002, he is dipping into his accounts. He has lent his presidential
campaign more than $9 million." ... "According to the report, Romney holds
stock in China Petroleum and Chemical (also known as SinoPec), an oil supply
company that has dealings in Sudan, according to an organization dedicated
to ending the genocide in the African nation's Darfur region." ... "[Republican]
President Bush has denounced the killings of tens of thousands of civilians
in Darfur [Sudan] and declared that genocide is being committed. California
and early-voting Iowa are among the states where officials have urged divestment."
... "The report shows that Romney has numerous offshore holdings." ...
"His biggest single holding appears to have been MGM Mirage, owners of
a major casino in Las Vegas [Nevada]." (1, 2)
-By Dan Morain
-LAtimes
Idaho
- Nevada
- Utah
- 
Wildfire- Plants
- Animals
- Politics
- "Western
governors blame cheatgrass for 2007 wildfire woes."
... "Four Western governors declared war Monday on cheatgrass, a nonnative
weedy grass they blame for filling the West's open spaces with flammable
fuels feeding this summer's massive wildfires." ... "Still, their efforts
could be complicated by a shortage of seeds of other grasses needed to
restore the charred landscape before cheatgrass takes hold. In fact, some
of the federal Bureau of Land Management territory where such seeds are
collected has been burned." ... "And environmentalists are leery about
the plans for replanting, fearing they'll concentrate on grasses that provide
forage for livestock rather than native vegetation that helps wildlife
such as sage grouse." ... "So far this year, wildfires in Idaho, Nevada
and Utah have burned thousands of square miles, including the giant Murphy
Complex fires on the Idaho-Nevada border that torched an area as large
as Rhode Island." -By John Miller
-AP via -SeattlePI
State.nv.us = silver.state.nv.us
