Jun
30
2005
Bush Critics Call for More Troops in Iraq photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – Congressional critics of President Bush’s stay-the-course commitment to the war in Iraq argued Wednesday that the administration lacks sufficient troops on the ground to mount a successful counterinsurgency. Democrats in particular criticized Bush for again raising the Sept. 11…
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Nixon Son-In-Law Eyes Possible Senate Bid photo
NEW YORK (AP) – Gearing up for a possible run for Senate against Hillary Rodham Clinton, former President Nixon’s son-in-law Edward Cox announced the formation Wednesday of an exploratory committee that includes Henry Kissinger and other GOP elders. The New York lawyer also accused Clinton of…
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House GOP Pledges Fall Vote on Soc. Sec. photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – After months of nervous poll-watching, Republican leaders announced Wednesday the House would vote by fall on legislation to establish individual accounts under Social Security. “This is not too far too fast. … This is a step we can take right now” to modernize the…
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Senate Votes to Boost Veterans’ Health Aid photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate voted Wednesday spend an extra $1.5 billion on veterans’ health care this year as the Bush administration agreed to ask Congress for more money to cover a politically embarrassing shortfall. The 96-0 vote was a response to the Veterans Affairs Department’s announcement…
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Nods of Agreement From Enlisted for Bush photo
For those Americans with the greatest stake in the outcome of the war in Iraq – the people fighting it – President Bush’s call Tuesday to stay the course brought mostly sober nods of agreement. On the first anniversary of the handover of sovereignty to the Iraqis, Bush spoke to an audience of 700…
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Panels Reduce Money for Global Development
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate’s version of a foreign aid bill would give President Bush $1.2 billion less than he wanted for a program to encourage global development. That is only slightly less than what the House sliced from the president’s request for the Millennium Challenge Account, a large…
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Democrat Says Deal Near on Ethics Panel
WASHINGTON (AP) – The top Democrat on the House ethics committee said Wednesday he was close to a deal with the Republican chairman to end the committee’s partisan stalemate and resume business, including a possible investigation of Majority Leader Tom DeLay. A senior Republican official, who…
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Jury Convicts Five in Federal Vote Fraud
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) – The chairman of the city’s Democratic Party and four others were convicted Wednesday of scheming to buy votes with cash, cigarettes and liquor last November. Charles Powell Jr., 61, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit vote fraud, along with the city’s former…
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House Panel Seeks to Curb Some Fundraising
WASHINGTON (AP) – Upset by the millions of dollars that outside groups spent in the 2004 election, a House panel on Wednesday took a step toward limiting such organizations. The House Administration Committee, on a 5-3 vote, sent a bill to the full House that would place tax-exempt partisan groups…
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Pa. House Session Halted After Slurs Fly
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A Pennsylvania House session was suspended for more than an hour Wednesday after a black lawmaker, upset by a white colleague’s comments about ethnic groups, referred to him as a “cracker.” The comments came during debate on a bill that would allow residents of communities…
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Poll Examines Schwarzenegger Re-Election photo
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A majority of California voters does not want to see Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger re-elected, according to the latest poll showing the Republican’s political appeal sliding. The nonpartisan Field Poll of registered voters found that just 39 percent said they were inclined to… |
Jun
29
2005
Bush Tells U.S. Iraq Sacrifice ‘Worth It’ photo
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) – President Bush on Tuesday rejected suggestions that he set a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq or send in more troops, counseling patience for Americans who question the war’s painful costs. “Is the sacrifice worth it? It is worth it and it is vital to the security of our…
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Nods of Agreement From Enlisted for Bush photo
For those Americans with the greatest stake in the outcome of the war in Iraq – the people fighting it – President Bush’s call Tuesday to stay the course brought mostly sober nods of agreement. On the first anniversary of the handover of sovereignty to the Iraqis, Bush spoke to an audience of 700…
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Nixon Called Indira Gandhi an ‘Old Witch’
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Nixon referred privately to Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as an “old witch” and national security adviser Henry Kissinger insulted Indians in general, according to transcripts of Oval Office tapes and newly declassified documents released Tuesday. Nixon and…
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FBI Whistle-Blower to Run for Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) – Former FBI whistle-blower Coleen Rowley will run for Congress as a Democrat in Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District, where she hopes to knock off GOP Rep. John Kline. “I’m concerned about the direction of the country,” Rowley said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “We have done…
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Grassley Says Senators Dodging Soc. Sec.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Republican chairman of the Senate committee charged with producing a Social Security bill said Tuesday his colleagues “all want it to go away,” but he will not drop the issue even though his own committee is in a logjam. “Nobody really talks too much about Social Security,”…
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Lawmaker Wants Probe on Immigrant Survey
WASHINGTON (AP) – A Republican congressman wants an investigation of whether the Bush administration tried to suppress a survey indicating U.S. policies spurred immigrants to illegally enter the country. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., said the U.S. Border Patrol’s three-week survey was discontinued…
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Newsview: Troops a Favorite Bush Audience photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – From his May 2003 “Mission Accomplished” speech aboard an aircraft carrier, to a Thanksgiving dinner in Baghdad, to Tuesday night’s speech to troops in North Carolina, President Bush has had no shortage of telegenic moments on Iraq – amid a nearly unrelenting string of bad news…
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Frist, Reid Talk Potential Court Nominees photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Tuesday he’s been talking to Democratic leader Harry Reid about nominees for a potential vacancy on the Supreme Court but doesn’t have any inside information on whom President Bush might nominate. “Have Senator Reid and I talked about…
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Nader Campaign Aide Pleads Guilty to Fraud
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) – The coordinator for Ralph Nader’s 2004 presidential campaign in Virginia pleaded guilty Tuesday to election fraud. James P. Polk, 47, will serve 30 days of home detention and was fined $2,500. Polk was accused of illegally certifying petitions to get Nader, an…
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Congressman Gets U.S. Document Subpoena
SAN DIEGO (AP) – A federal grand jury has subpoenaed documents from a California congressman related to the sale of the lawmaker’s home to a defense contractor who quickly put it back on the market and eventually sold it at a big loss. The subpoena issued to Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham was…
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House Agrees to $3,100 Pay Raise for 2006
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House on Tuesday agreed to a $3,100 pay raise for Congress next year – to $165,200 – after defeating an effort to roll it back. In a 263-152 vote, the House blocked a bid by Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, to force an up-or-down vote on the pay raise. Instead, lawmakers will… |
Jun
28
2005
Court: Some Commandments Displays OK photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court ruled Monday that displaying the Ten Commandments on government property is constitutionally permissible in some cases but not in others. A pair of 5-4 decisions left future disputes on the contentious church-state issue to be settled case-by-case. “The court…
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Texas Sen. Hutchison to Seek Third Term photo
DALLAS (AP) – Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison officially announced Monday that she will seek a third term, saying she could have beaten Gov. Rick Perry next year but decided she could serve Texas better by staying in the Senate. The 61-year-old GOP senator denied getting any pressure from Republican…
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No Retirement Announcements at High Court photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – The mystery surrounding Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist’s future took much of the attention Monday as the Supreme Court finished its business with no retirements. Rehnquist, who is 80 and has cancer, could step down anytime. He chose not to make any comments about his plans…
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Former Political Foes Take Maine Boat Ride photo
KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine (AP) – Former President Bill Clinton joined his one-time political foe, former President George H.W. Bush, for a boat ride on the Atlantic Ocean after attending a book-signing Monday in South Portland. Clinton was seen kneeling to pet a dog when he arrived at Walker’s Point,…
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Senators Seek Rules for Gitmo Detainees photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – Two Democratic senators, just back from Guantanamo Bay, said Monday that Congress should come up with concrete rules for handling detainees at the U.S. prison there. Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Ben Nelson of Nebraska said more precise rules would help ensure that prisoners…
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Spokane Mayor Appeals Ruling on Recall
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) – Lawyers for Mayor James E. West, accused of offering city jobs to men he met in a gay online chat room, are appealing a judge’s ruling allowing a recall petition drive to proceed. West, former state Senate leader and opponent of gay rights, has denied any criminal or…
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Pentagon Stresses Political Action in Iraq photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – Top U.S. military officials are increasingly emphasizing political solutions rather than military ones to Iraq’s insurgency, a shift acknowledging the difficulty they and the Iraqi government face in stopping the violence. Gen. George Casey, the U.S. commander of the…
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Watchdog Group Files Complaint Vs. Frist
WASHINGTON (AP) – A watchdog group on Monday filed a complaint against Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist with the Federal Election Commission, alleging that his campaign committees failed to adequately disclose a $1.4 million loan. The complaint from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in…
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Report: Judical Election Spending Soars
Campaign spending for state supreme court races across the nation soared in 2004, with $24.4 million poured into television ads as elections to the bench drew increased attention from interest groups and political parties, according to an analysis released Monday. The latest number more than…
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Web Site Makes Gov’t. Reports Available
WASHINGTON (AP) – A new Web site aims to make widely available to the public certain government reports about topics from terrorism to Social Security that congressional researchers prepare and distribute now only to lawmakers. The site – - links more than a half-dozen existing collections of…
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Bush Kicks Off White House T-Ball Season photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush and two dozen kids from inner-city teams kicked off the fifth season of White House T-ball Sunday on the South Lawn. The president performed the equivalent of throwing out the first pitch when he leaned over, placed a ball on the tee at home plate and shouted,…
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Jun
27
2005
Rumsfeld Rejects Outside Panel on Gitmo photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – A new independent investigation of abuse allegations at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, “doesn’t make sense,” Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Sunday. Some Democratic lawmakers are pushing for an independent commission to look into conditions at the detention center at the U.S….
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Rumsfeld: U.S. Met With Iraq Insurgents photo
LONDON (AP) – Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld acknowledged Sunday that U.S. officials met with insurgents in Iraq, after a British newspaper reported two such meetings took place recently at a villa north of Baghdad. Insurgent commanders “apparently came face to face” with four American…
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Groups: U.S. Misusing Law in Terror Fight
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Bush administration has misused a federal law to detain at least 70 terrorism suspects since the Sept. 11 attacks, two advocacy groups contend. Administration officials defend the detentions by pointing out that judges approved material witness warrants. The material witness…
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Ex-FBI Chief: Deep Throat Sought Vengeance
WASHINGTON (AP) – L. Patrick Gray, the FBI chief during the Watergate break-in, says he believes deputy W. Mark Felt became the anonymous source known as Deep Throat because he was angry at being passed over as J. Edgar Hoover’s successor and wanted to sabotage Gray. “I think there was a sense of…
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Okla. Doctor-Turned-Senator Juggles Jobs
MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) – It’s a Monday morning and by 7:30 a.m., Dr. Tom Coburn already has put 2 1/2 hours on the job. He’s made the rounds at the hospital. Now, expectant mothers and an elderly man with hardening of the arteries await exams at his clinic in a rambling strip mall. Lab reports sit a…
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Schwarzenegger, Democrats Exploring Truce photo
Throughout the spring, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger feuded bitterly with Democrats in the Legislature over government reform measures he wants voters to consider in a special election this November. Lately, however, the partisan chill has begun to thaw as recent polls have shown both…
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AP: Blagojevich Contributor Gets Contracts
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – A major contributor to Gov. Rod Blagojevich has received a half a million dollars in contracts for cleaning work that experts say is unnecessary or could be performed less expensively by state employees. In one case, PWS Environmental Inc. got more than $7,000 to clean a…
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Blair’s Son to Intern for House Committee
LONDON (AP) – Prime Minister Tony Blair’s eldest son will intern for a U.S. congressional committee, Blair’s office said Sunday. Euan Blair, 21, will take a short, unpaid internship with the House Rules Committee, a spokesman for the prime minister’s office said. He did not specify when the…
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Growing Numbers Question Media’s Fairness
WASHINGTON (AP) – Despite growing doubts about the news media’s patriotism, most people still have a positive view of news outlets like their daily newspaper, local TV, network television news and cable news networks, a poll found. While the public views much of the news media favorably, they are…
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Obama’s Stand Against Patriot Act Cheered
CHICAGO (AP) – To the cheers of thousands of librarians, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday called for the Senate to rewrite the USA Patriot Act to prevent investigators from scanning library records and bookstore sales slips. Libraries should be “sanctuaries of learning where we are free to read…
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Rumsfeld: Iraq Insurgency Could Last Years photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Sunday he is bracing for even more violence in Iraq and acknowledged that the insurgency “could go on for any number of years.” Defeating the insurgency may take as long as 12 years, he said, with Iraqi security forces, not U.S. and… |
Jun
26
2005
Bush Trying to Win Over Americans on Iraq photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – As public support for his Iraq policy declines, President Bush is working to convince wary Americans that he has a military and political strategy for success in the war in which 1,730 U.S. troops have been killed. In his radio address on Saturday, Bush warned that there is…
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High Court to End Term With Big Decisions photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court ends its work Monday with the highest of drama: an anticipated retirement, a ruling on the constitutionality of government Ten Commandments displays and decisions in other major cases. Traditionally there is an air of suspense as the justices meet for the final…
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Lawmakers: Guantanamo Conditions Improve photo
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba (AP) – During a tour of the U.S. prison for suspected terrorists on Saturday, House Republicans and Democrats, including one who has advocated closing the facility, said the United States has made progress in improving conditions and protecting detainees’ rights….
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Newsview: Bush Losing Support for Iraq War photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush is casting about for ways to turn the tide of public opinion on Iraq. He is running into a growing level of skepticism, new strains in Republican unity and more frequent comparisons to the Vietnam conflict of almost four decades ago. A new stepped-up public…
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Home Sale Causes Woes for Rep. Cunningham photo
SAN DIEGO (AP) – U.S. Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham has a reputation for both brashness and emotion. The tough-talking former Navy “Top Gun” fighter pilot once said that President Clinton’s anti-war activities during the Vietnam War would result in being “tried as a traitor and even shot” if he had…
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JFK Adviser Fred Dutton Dies at 82
WASHINGTON (AP) – Frederick G. Dutton, an adviser to President Kennedy and an assistant secretary of state, died Saturday. He was 82. Dutton was admitted to George Washington University Hospital on June 6 for treatment of a moderate hemorrhagic bleed, according to his wife, Nancy. He had a mild…
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W.Va. Rejects $5.5B Pension Bond Proposal photo
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Voters on Saturday narrowly rejected Gov. Joe Manchin’s attempt to repair West Virginia’s ailing retirement system by selling up to $5.5 billion in bonds. With 87 percent the state’s 1,965 precincts reporting, about 53 percent of voters had rejected the pension bond…
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White House Stands Behind Rove Comments photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – A White House official said Friday the administration finds it “somewhat puzzling” that Democrats are demanding presidential adviser Karl Rove’s apology or resignation for implying that liberals are soft on terrorism. “I think Karl was very specific, very accurate, in who he was…
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Senate Moves to Strengthen FOI Act
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate took steps Friday to ensure that Congress clearly explains future efforts to restrict the public’s access to government documents. Approved by a voice vote, the Senate bill requires that future legislation containing new exemptions to what records are open for public…
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Dean: Democrats Must Cultivate Hispanics photo
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – The Democratic Party is losing more and more Hispanic voters to the Republicans and must cultivate them if it is to win the 2008 presidential victory, Democratic Party leader Howard Dean told Latino officials on Friday. More than 7 million Latinos – of Central and…
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House Approves Cuts to Labor Programs
WASHINGTON (AP) – Funding for job training, rural health care, low-income schools and help for people lacking health insurance would face big cuts under a bill passed Friday by the House. The measure, which passed 250-151, contains $142.5 billion in spending under Congress’ control for labor,…
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Jun
25
2005
House Approves Cuts to Labor Programs
WASHINGTON (AP) – Funding for job training, rural health care, low-income schools and help for people lacking health insurance would face big cuts under a bill passed Friday by the House. The measure, which passed 250-151, contains $142.5 billion in spending under Congress’ control for labor,…
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Bush Says No Timetable for Iraq Withdrawal photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – Despite growing anxiety about the war in Iraq, President Bush refused to set a timetable Friday for bringing home U.S. troops and declared, “I’m not giving up on the mission. We’re doing the right thing.” Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, with Bush at a White House news…
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Cheney Says Guantanamo Prisoners Well Fed photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – Defending the treatment of prisoners at the U.S. jail in Guantanamo Bay, Vice President Dick Cheney said they are well treated, well fed and “living in the tropics.” The Bush administration has faced allegations of inmate abuse at the jail and of unjustly detaining suspects….
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W.Va. Set to Vote on $5.5B Pension Bond
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Amid the backdrop of natonwide funding shortfalls for state and local pension plans, West Virginians prepared to vote Saturday on whether to repair their ailing retirement system with up to $5.5 billion in bonds. The state constitution requires an amendment for Gov. Joe…
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Dean: Democrats Must Cultivate Hispanics photo
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – The Democratic Party is losing more and more Hispanic voters to the Republicans and must cultivate them if it is to win the 2008 presidential victory, Democratic Party leader Howard Dean told Latino officials on Friday. More than 7 million Latinos – of Central and…
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White House Stands Behind Rove Comments photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – A White House official said Friday the administration finds it “somewhat puzzling” that Democrats are demanding presidential adviser Karl Rove’s apology or resignation for implying that liberals are soft on terrorism. “I think Karl was very specific, very accurate, in who he was…
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House Blocks Federal Coverage of Viagra
WASHINGTON (AP) – Impotence drugs such as Viagra would not be covered by Medicaid and Medicare, the government health programs for the poor and the aged, under new prohibitions approved by the House on Friday. By a 285-121 vote, the House approved an amendment by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, to stop…
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Minnesota Government May Have a Shutdown photo
LAKE ELMO, Minn. (AP) – Like most high school students, Jana Graczyk couldn’t have cared less about the political warfare at the state Capitol. That is, until it threatened her chance to get the prized possession of most teenagers – a driver’s license. Minnesotans like Graczyk are suddenly paying…
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Panhandler Battle Takes on Racial Tone photo
ATLANTA (AP) – A proposed ordinance to bar panhandlers from accosting people in Atlanta’s tourist section has run headlong into the politics of race in this city of the New South that likes to portray itself as having moved beyond black and white. Hoping to boost convention business and tidy up…
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Jeb Bush Signs Bill for Florida’s Growth
BRANDON, Fla. (AP) – Gov. Jeb Bush on Friday signed into law landmark legislation that overhauls the state’s growth and development guidelines for the first time in two decades and calls for $1.5 billion in state money to be spent during the next year on new highways, classrooms and water…
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Cheney Visits Orthopedist in Colorado
VAIL, Colo. (AP) – Vice President Dick Cheney visited a renowned orthopedist Friday while in town for a forum held by a conservative think tank, his spokeswoman said. Cheney met with Dr. Richard Steadman to evaluate an old football injury to his knee, Cheney spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride said…. |
Jun
24
2005
General Says Iraq Insurgency Still Active photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Iraqi insurgency is as active as six months ago and more foreign fighters are flowing in all the time, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East said Thursday, despite Vice President Dick Cheney’s insistence that the insurgency was “in its last throes.” Gen. John Abizaid,…
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Dems Say Rove Should Apologize or Resign photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – Democrats said Thursday that White House adviser Karl Rove should either apologize or resign for accusing liberals of wanting “therapy and understanding” for the Sept. 11 attackers, escalating partisan rancor that threatens to consume Washington. Rove’s comments – and the…
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Mass. Governor Weighing Presidental Run photo
BOSTON (AP) – Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney says his wife’s health will be a key factor in whether he runs for president in 2008. She has multiple sclerosis. Romney, who has acknowledged he is considering a presidential bid but also says he might run for re-election as governor, raised the issue…
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Senate Dems Want Consult on Court Pick
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Democrats are urging President Bush to consult with them on a possible Supreme Court nomination to help avoid the kind of controversy that engulfed his lower court picks. “The way to avoid the divisiveness and discord that occurred over past judicial nominations is through…
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Senate Nearly Done With Energy Agenda photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate neared completion of a sweeping national energy agenda late Thursday that would promote conservation and environmentally friendly fuels. But senators rejected a last-minute bid to substantially raise automobile fuel economy over the next decade. The massive energy…
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New Mexico Governor Says He’ll Slow Down
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – New Mexico’s lead-footed governor has promised to put on the brakes – most of the time, anyway. Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson, whose penchant for exceeding the speed limit has made headlines and drawn criticism from Republicans, said Thursday he would slow down. “Sometimes…
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Ohio Governor Struggles With Scandal
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – What should have been a time of triumph for Ohio’s governor after a tepid six years in office has become a nightmare of heavy investment losses for the state and allegations of political favoritism and cover-up. Republican Gov. Bob Taft, a member of one of America’s most…
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Cheney: Bush May Forgo Private Accounts photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – Vice President Dick Cheney left open the possibility Thursday that President Bush would sign a bill to overhaul Social Security without his embattled proposal for personal accounts financed from payroll taxes. “I wouldn’t say that,” Cheney said, when asked if Bush would sign a…
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Sen. Sees No Bias Hires in Nominee Record
WASHINGTON (AP) – Research into a State Department nominee’s hiring record has not revealed evidence of systematic discrimination since racial comments led her to resign from Wellesley College’s board of trustees in 1987, Sen. Barack Obama said Thursday. Henrietta Holsman Fore, currently director…
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Ariz. Senate Ex-President to Run for Gov.
PHOENIX (AP) – Former state Senate President John Greene announced Thursday he’s running for the Republican nomination for Arizona governor in hopes of ousting first-term Democratic incumbent Janet Napolitano. Greene, who served six years in the Senate in the 1990s, said Napolitano has done little…
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Pol of Mexican Heritage Aims at Immigrants
BOISE, Idaho (AP) – He is a grandson of Mexican immigrants who has been called a traitor to his people for building his political career on attacks against illegal immigration. Canyon County Commissioner Robert Vasquez entered the race for Congress earlier this month, and did it in… |
Jun
23
2005
House Approves Move to Outlaw Flag Burning photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – A constitutional amendment to outlaw flag burning cleared the House Wednesday but faced an uphill battle in the Senate. An informal survey by The Associated Press suggested the measure doesn’t have enough Senate votes to pass. The 286-130 outcome was never in doubt in the House,…
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Rove: Dems Didn’t Get 9/11 Consequences
NEW YORK (AP) – Speaking in a Manhattan ballroom just a few miles north of ground zero, Karl Rove said on Wednesday night that the Democratic party did not understand the consequences of the Sept. 11 attacks. “Liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and…
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Papers: Lobbyist, Partner Bilked Tribes photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – Lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his partner created tax-exempt groups to funnel money to themselves from Indian tribes trying to build political support for their casinos, according to documents released at a Senate hearing Wednesday. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate…
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House GOP Crafts Social Security Bill photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – Blending conservative principles with political caution, key Republicans rallied Wednesday behind a plan to introduce Social Security personal accounts on a more modest scale than President Bush favors. “Our bill is the first bite at a bigger reform,” Texas Rep. Sam Johnson said…
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Gregoire Aims to Move Past Wash. Election photo
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire said Wednesday it is time for her opponents to move on now that a judge has upheld her remarkably close election victory. In her first full-scale interview since a judge dismissed Republican claims of fraud and other misdeeds in last fall’s…
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Senate Defeats Move to Cap Climate Gases photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate soundly defeated a proposal Wednesday for mandatory reductions in heat-trapping pollution that may be warming the Earth. Supporters managed to get five fewer votes than they did two years ago. The proposal to cap greenhouse gases at 2000 levels, within five years, lost…
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Fla. Dems Missed Payment Blamed on Error
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – An employee mistake led to the Florida Democratic Party not paying some of its Social Security and payroll taxes in 2003, a former chairman said Wednesday in the wake of the party being slapped with a lien by the Internal Revenue Service. Former party chief Scott Maddox,…
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Ohio Parties Still Sniping Over 2004 Vote
WASHINGTON (AP) – The 2004 presidential election in Ohio was settled when President Bush won the decisive state. But the state’s vote still is a sore point for many, including the two political parties. Democrats released a report Wednesday that said Ohio voters had to deal with long lines, poorly…
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Ex-Attorneys General: Cut Convict’s Term
DENVER (AP) – A day after U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales defended mandatory federal sentencing laws, four of his predecessors filed a court brief Wednesday saying a Utah drug dealer received an unconstitutionally long prison term. More than 150 other ex-Justice Department officials also…
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Tenn. Lawmaker Pleads Innocent to Charges
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – A state lawmaker indicted in an undercover probe of public corruption pleaded innocent Wednesday to federal bribery and extortion charges. State Rep. Chris Newton is the only Republican among five current or former state lawmakers charged in two-year FBI investigation code…
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Schiavo Activist to Seek Fla. Senate Seat
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Randall Terry, who founded the militant anti-abortion group Operation Rescue and helped lead the effort to reinsert Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube, announced Wednesday he is running for the state Senate, setting the stage for a GOP primary in which Schiavo could be the… |
Jun
22
2005
Frist Reverses Himself, Pushes Bolton Vote photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Tuesday he would keep pressing for a vote on embattled U.N. nominee John Bolton’s confirmation after President Bush insisted that throwing in the towel was not an option. Hours earlier, Frist, R-Tenn., told reporters he would not schedule…
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AP: Tribe Told to Reroute DeLay Checks
ELTON, La. (AP) – A casino-rich tribe wrote checks for at least $55,000 to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s political groups, but the donations were never publicly disclosed and the tribe was directed to divert the money to other groups that helped Republicans, tribal documents show. Lobbyist…
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Dems Raise $22.6M So Far, Lag Behind GOP photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Democratic National Committee has raised $22.6 million this year through fundraisers, direct mail and online, but still trails the national GOP by a 2-1 margin, Democrats said Tuesday. DNC Chairman Howard Dean has been traveling to fundraisers around the country in recent…
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Sen. Durbin Apologizes for Gitmo Remarks photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – Under fire from Republicans and some fellow Democrats, Sen. Dick Durbin apologized Tuesday for comparing American interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp to Nazis and other historically infamous figures. “Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line,” the Illinois…
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Senate Backs Offshore Energy Inventory photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate voted Tuesday to inventory all offshore oil and gas resources – a step environmentalists saw as a threat to bans on drilling – and debated a challenge to President Bush’s climate-change policies. Many senators from coastal states criticized the offshore energy…
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Social Security Bill Eases Up on Accounts photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – Key House Republicans scrambled Tuesday to craft Social Security legislation that sidetracks the most controversial elements of President Bush’s plan, officials said, the latest sign of unease with the administration’s campaign for personal accounts financed from payroll taxes….
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Biden Accuses Bush of Misleading on Iraq photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – Two days after announcing his intention to seek the presidency, Democratic Sen. Joe Biden on Tuesday accused President Bush of “misleading statements and premature declarations of victory” in Iraq and called on him to change course. “The disconnect between the administration’s…
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Florida Democratic Party Faces IRS Lien
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – The Florida Democratic Party has been slapped with a lien by the Internal Revenue Service for failing to pay payroll and Social Security taxes in 2003. Meanwhile, the state party’s budget and finance committee voted Tuesday to ask for a new audit to account for more than…
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Dean Answers Cheney’s Barb About Mother photo
BOSTON (AP) – Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean, responding to criticism from the vice president, said he doesn’t “care if Dick Cheney likes my mother or not.” The vice president said in a recent interview that Dean was not the type of person to lead a political party and mentioned the…
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Rhetoric Takes Nasty Turn in Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) – A Republican accuses Democrats of demonizing Christians. A Democrat talks of Nazis in connection with the treatment of terror suspects. Both sides cry foul, and apologies are hard to come by. It’s just another day of vitriolic gotchas at the Capitol. House Republicans on Tuesday…
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Schwarzenegger Seeks Deal As Ratings Slip photo
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Responding to a precipitous drop in popularity, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday said he wants to seek compromise with Democrats on the state budget and on issues he has placed before voters for a November special election. “I feel that there is an agreement to be… |
Jun
21
2005
Senate Democrats Block Bolton Confirmation photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Democrats blocked John Bolton’s confirmation as U.N. ambassador for the second time Monday and President Bush left open the possibility of bypassing lawmakers and appointing the tough-talking former State Department official on his own. The vote was 54-38, six shy of the…
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Bush Defends Guantanamo, Iraq Tactics photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush said Monday he thinks about Iraq “every day because I understand we have kids in harm’s way,” yet he is determined to complete the mission there. He defended U.S. tactics in Iraq and at the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay. At a joint news conference with European…
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Lobbying Heats Up As Climate Vote Nears
WASHINGTON (AP) – Industry groups and environmentalists lobbied hard to sway lawmakers’ votes Monday as the Senate prepared for a major challenge to President Bush’s global warming policy as part of emerging energy legislation. At the same time, the Senate agreed unanimously without debate to…
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FBI Chief Won’t Mandate Terror Expertise photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – FBI supervisors in the war on terror have acknowledged they lacked expertise, but Director Robert Mueller says he is unwilling to require such managers to have backgrounds in Arabic, the Middle East or international issues. “Let me tell you that we want to develop that within the…
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American Indians Offer to Settle Suit
WASHINGTON (AP) – American Indians suing the Interior Department for more than a century’s worth of lost royalties said Monday they were willing to settle for $27.5 billion if Congress agreed not to draw the money from other Indian Country programs. The class-action lawsuit has lingered in U.S….
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High Court Orders New Death Penalty Trial photo
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court on Monday threw out yet another sentence for a death row inmate, issuing a warning to state courts in a 17-year-old Pennsylvania case that shoddy defense work wouldn’t be tolerated. The justices have been particularly active in death penalty issues this session,…
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Gov’t. Collected Airline Passenger Data
WASHINGTON (AP) – The federal agency in charge of aviation security collected extensive personal information about airline passengers even though Congress forbade it and officials said they wouldn’t do it, according to documents obtained Monday by The Associated Press. The Transportation Security…
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Republican: Democrats Demonize Christians
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House passed a mammoth defense spending bill Monday evening, but only after a Republican congressman was forced to take back remarks accusing Democrats of “demonizing Christians.” The rhetorical warfare came as the House considered a proposal by Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., to…
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Clinton Says Close or Clean Up Guantanamo
LONDON (AP) – Former President Clinton said the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay should close or improve its record on prisoner abuse, a British newspaper reported Monday. Clinton told the Financial Times the camp should “be closed down or cleaned up.” “It is time that there are no more stories…
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Senate Negotiators Make Highway Bill Offer
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate negotiators on Monday proposed a compromise plan for a long-term highway bill, hoping to break an impasse that has stalled action on the massive spending bill for nearly two years, aides said. The Senate proposal called for spending $290 billion over six years for highway,…
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Conservatives Tout Anti-Hillary Book
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – Conservative groups are promoting a Hillary Rodham Clinton biography that hits bookstores Tuesday as a work so damning it could destroy any possible bid for the presidency in 2008. The 305-page book, “The Truth About Hillary: What She Knew, When She Knew It, and How Far She’ll… |
