Texas Textbook Hearings

Texas Board Of Ed Approves Right-Wing History Textbook Standards (VIDEO)

Justin Elliott | May 21, 2010, 6:36PM

Newt Gingrich and Phyllis Schlafly

After months of debate and national controversy, the Texas State Board of Education Friday afternoon passed new high school textbook standards that recast U.S. history from the point of view of a movement conservative.

The AP reports on the 9-5 vote by the Republican-dominated board:

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Ken Cuccinelli

Pressure Growing On Cuccinelli To Return Apparent Scamster's Dough

Zachary Roth | May 21, 2010, 6:08PM

VA Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Has Ken Cuccinelli miscalculated by standing on principle -- what principle that is, we're not too sure -- in refusing to give up donations from an apparent scam artist?

To recap: The second largest individual contributor to Cuccinelli's campaign for Virginia attorney general last year was Bobby Thompson, a Florida man who is the founder of the U.S. Navy Veterans Association, and who donated $55,500 to Cuccinelli.

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Tom Corbett

Penn AG Withdraws Twitter Subpoena

Zachary Roth | May 21, 2010, 5:32PM

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has withdrawn his subpoena of Twitter, through which he had been seeking information on the identity of a blogger who was attacking him.

State prosecutors in the Brett Cott case said today, after Cott was sentenced to five years in prison, that the subpoena is no longer necessary. In a memo given to the judge before sentencing, they had argued that Cott should receive a stiffer sentence, in part because he had used the blog "to deflect blame and deny responsibility for his criminal conduct, and to attack and malign the investigative and prosecutorial process which resulted in his conviction."

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Richard Blumenthal

Times Publishes More Accounts Of Blumenthal Misrepresenting Service

Rachel Slajda | May 21, 2010, 2:29PM

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal (D)

The New York Times today published two more examples of Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal suggesting that he served in the Vietnam War.

In one, unearthed by the Stamford Advocate's search through its archives, Blumenthal says he "wore the uniform in Vietnam."

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Rand Paul

Rand Paul In '08: Beware The NAFTA Superhighway! (VIDEO)

Justin Elliott | May 21, 2010, 1:42PM

Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul

Campaigning for his father in Montana back in 2008, Rand Paul spoke out against the NAFTA Superhighway, encouraging Congress to stop the mythical project that would connect Mexico, the U.S., and Canada and, critics say, deal a fatal blow to American sovereignty. Long a bugaboo on some segments of the Right, the NAFTA Superhighway does not actually exist.

"It's gonna go up through Texas, I guess, all the way to Montana," said Paul, at an event in Bozeman. "So, it's a real thing, and when you talk about it, the thing you just have to be aware of is that, if you talk about it like it's a conspiracy, they'll paint you as a nut."

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Danziger Bridge

Fifth Officer Charged In Connection With Danziger Bridge Shootings

Jillian Rayfield | May 21, 2010, 1:19PM

The Danziger Bridge in New Orleans

A fifth officer has been charged in connection with the Danziger Bridge shootings, in which police officers in New Orleans allegedly shot unarmed civilians on the bridge just days after Hurricane Katrina.

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Rand Paul

Rand Paul: Economic Collapse Could Lead To 'A Hitler' Coming To Power

Zachary Roth | May 21, 2010, 12:29PM

KY Sen. candidate Rand Paul (R)

Rand Paul warned last year that a worsening economy could lead to "a Hitler" coming to power in the U.S.

During an August 2009 speech at a "machine gun shoot" in Knob Creek, Kentucky, the GOP Senate candidate -- last seen walking back his opposition to a key piece of the Civil Rights Act -- declared that "we are on the precipice of an economic calamity", and asked: "What happens if the entire dollars collapses because we have so much debt?"

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Richard Blumenthal

That Other Thing: Blumenthal And The Swim Team

Rachel Slajda | May 21, 2010, 11:30AM

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate

In its bombshell story on Richard Blumenthal's military record this week, the New York Times took a few paragraphs to mention Blumenthal's college athletic record, framing it as an example of his willingness to mislead. Not only had he never served in Vietnam, the Times wrote; he was never on the Harvard swim team, either.

"On a less serious matter, another flattering but untrue description of Mr. Blumenthal's history has appeared in profiles about him. In two largely favorable profiles ... Mr. Blumenthal is described prominently as having served as captain of the swim team at Harvard. Records at the college show that he was never on the team," wrote the Times reporter, Raymond Hernandez.

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Orly Taitz

U.S. Attorney Threatens Taitz Over Unpaid $20,000 Fine

Justin Elliott | May 21, 2010, 10:54AM

Orly Taitz

The strong arm of the law is after Orly Taitz.

In a letter the Birther attorney says she received May 17, a Georgia U.S. Attorney demands that she pay a $20,000 fine -- imposed by a frustrated judge in October after Taitz made repeated frivolous filings -- or else the U.S. will "pursue enforced collection action against you."

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Tom Corbett

Twitter Subpoena Was Part Of Bid For Stiffer Sentence In 'Bonus-Gate' Probe

Zachary Roth | May 21, 2010, 10:26AM

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett

It's become clear who Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett thinks is behind the Twitter account that he subpoenaed information on last week.

As we reported Wednesday, the AG and Republican nominee for governor last week subpoenaed Twitter, demanding information about two accounts, both of which contained Tweets that were critical of Corbett, and linked to a blog with a similar anti-Corbett message. He didn't offer details about the purpose of the subpoenas.

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Rand Paul

Paul Has Been Guest Of Conspiracy Theorist Shock Jock Alex Jones (VIDEO)

Justin Elliott | May 21, 2010, 9:14AM

Alex Jones and Rand Paul

Kentucky Republican Senate nominee Rand Paul has been a guest on the show of wacky conspiracy theorist radio host Alex Jones multiple times in the past couple years.

For Jones, who runs the site Infowars.com and broadcasts his eponymous radio show out of Austin, 9/11 trutherism is only the beginning. He regularly devotes his show to investigating the Bilderberg Group, the "rise of FEMA," the Bohemian Grove, how to fight the New World Order, etc.

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Mark Souder

Souder's Resignation Letter

Rachel Slajda | May 20, 2010, 6:34PM

Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN)

TPMmuckraker has obtained Rep. Mark Souder's (R-IN) resignation letter.

In the letter, addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and dated May 18, Souder writes that his resignation is effective May 21.

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Arne Duncan

Duncan: Texas Textbook Standards Won't Affect Rest Of U.S.

Eric Lach | May 20, 2010, 5:38PM

Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told CNN he doesn't believe the new U.S. history textbook standards being proposed by the Texas Board of Education will impact classrooms across the country.

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Rand Paul

FLASHBACK: Paul Campaign Spokesman Resigned Over Racism On Myspace Page

Justin Elliott | May 20, 2010, 2:44PM

Chris Hightower (left), former spokesman for Rand Paul, and his band Commander

Controversy is swirling over Rand Paul's doctrinaire libertarian take on the civil rights legislation of the 1960s. But this is not the first time the Kentucky Republican's campaign has hit a bump in racially sensitive territory.

In December, Chris Hightower, the spokesman for Paul's senate campaign, was forced to resign after a liberal Kentucky blog discovered that his MySpace page had a comment posted around Martin Luther King Day that read: "HAPPY N***ER DAY!!!" above what appears to be a historical photo of the lynching of a black man.

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Richard Blumenthal

NYT: Longer Video Of Blumenthal Describing Record Doesn't Change Our Story

Rachel Slajda | May 20, 2010, 10:18AM

CT AG Richard Blumenthal

The New York Times says a longer video of the March 2008 speech in which Richard Blumenthal said he "served in Vietnam" -- and in which he also also correctly says he served "during Vietnam" -- doesn't change its story about Blumenthal lying about his record. A Times spokesman also urged Blumenthal to come clean to voters.

"The New York Times in its reporting uncovered Mr. Blumenthal's long and well established pattern of misleading his constituents about his Vietnam War service, which he acknowledged in an interview with The Times," said Diane McNulty, a spokesman for the Times. "The video doesn't change our story. Saying that he served 'during Vietnam' doesn't indicate one way or the other whether he went to Vietnam."

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Mark Williams

Tea Party Leader: 'Islam Is A 7th Century Death Cult Coughed Up By A Psychotic Pedophile'

Zachary Roth | May 20, 2010, 10:13AM

Mark Williams

In an apparent bid to stoke further controversy, the Tea Party leader who last week referred to Allah as a "Monkey God" has apologized -- but to Hindus, not Muslims. And in an earlier blog post, now removed, he refers to Islam as a "7th Century Death Cult coughed up by a psychotic pedophile."

Mark Williams, the conservative radio talker and chair of the Tea Party Express yesterday posted an "apology" for the "Monkey God" post he wrote last week:

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Tom Corbett

Penn. AG Subpoenas Twitter: A Move To Silence Critics?

Zachary Roth | May 20, 2010, 9:09AM

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett

Is the attorney general of Pennsylvania using his authority to go after political critics?

Tom Corbett, who this week won the GOP nomination in the state's gubernatorial race, has subpoenaed Twitter, demanding that it provide information about the people behind two accounts, reports TechCrunch. The subpoena refers to "alleged violations of the laws of Pennsylvania".

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Gulf Coast Oil Spill

Senator Demands Info From Transocean On 'I'm Not Injured' Forms Signed By Workers

Justin Elliott | May 20, 2010, 9:05AM

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)

A Democratic senator is demanding answers from drilling giant Transocean about the forms that rescued workers from the Deepwater Horizon rig were given to sign stating that they were not injured and they were not witnesses to what happened.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), chair of the Senate Health Employment and Workplace Safety Subcommittee, fired off a letter to Transocean CEO Steven Newman calling the company's use of the forms "extremely troublesome."

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Ethics

New House Ethics Paradigm: Leadership Must Rat Out Members

Justin Elliott | May 19, 2010, 7:28PM

Former Rep. Mark Foley, Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), and former Rep. Eric Massa

After learning that Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) had an affair with a staffer, two House Republican leaders felt compelled to inform the ethics committee of the matter. Why?

Taking that step appears to be part of a new M.O. when leadership hears about an allegation of misconduct: tell the ethics committee quickly to inoculate yourself and your party against accusations of inaction later on.

"That's the new standard: the leadership ratting out its members where there's an allegation of misconduct," Stan Brand, a former House general counsel, tells TPMmuckraker.

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Ken Cuccinelli

Cuccinelli: Critics Of Climate-Science Probe 'Need Not Worry'

Zachary Roth | May 19, 2010, 6:20PM

VA Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Ken Cuccinelli is trying to allay intense concerns from Virginia's scientific and academic communities about his investigation of a former University of Virginia climate scientist.

"The same legal standards for fraud apply to the academic setting that apply elsewhere," the attorney general told a crowd on Tuesday at a fundraiser for -- what else? -- an abstinence-only education group, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "The same rule of law, the same objective fact-finding process will take place."

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Mark Souder

Pence: I Notified Ethics Committee After Learning Of Souder Affair

Justin Elliott | May 19, 2010, 4:40PM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) and Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN)

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), the No. 3 Republican in the House and an Indiana colleague of Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), informed the ethics committee that Souder was having an affair with a staffer after Souder informed him of the matter on Sunday, a Pence spokesman said today.

It's not clear why Pence went to the ethics committee about the affair.

Pence first heard about the Souder affair after a journalist approached him last Wednesday, he said at a press conference earlier today. Pence says he approached Souder on the House floor about the matter, and Souder told him about the affair.

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Richard Blumenthal

At Same '08 Speech, Blumenthal More Correctly Describes Military Record (VIDEO)

Rachel Slajda | May 19, 2010, 3:46PM

CT AG Richard Blumenthal

Earlier this week, the New York Times ran a story about the ambiguous way Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal describes his military service. In the Times' strongest example of Blumenthal's misrepresentations, he says, "when I served in Vietnam."

But as the Associated Press points out today, in a longer version of the speech -- which has been posted on the YouTube page of one of Blumenthal's Republican opponents since the Times story broke -- the attorney general also describes his military service more accurately, saying he "served in the military during the Vietnam era, in the Marine Corps."

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Mark Souder

Staffer Who Had Affair With Souder Resigns

Justin Elliott | May 19, 2010, 3:00PM

Tracy Jackson

Tracy Jackson, the part-time staffer who had an affair with Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), on Tuesday resigned her position, which at least partly consisted of interviewing Souder for a Web video series, the AP reports.

J. Christian Adams

Justice Department Lawyer Behind New Black Panther Case Resigns

Zachary Roth | May 19, 2010, 2:19PM

A Justice Department lawyer who was hired as part of a politicized process under the Bush administration, and who brought the controversial New Black Panther voter intimidation case, has resigned.

In a letter to DOJ Voting Rights chief Chris Herren, obtained by Main Justice, J. Christian Adams announced he'll step down next month, citing the controversy over the New Black Panther case.

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Texas Textbook Hearings

What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been: TX Textbooks Rules Set For Final Vote

Justin Elliott | May 19, 2010, 12:51PM

Newt Gingrich and Phyllis Schlafly

This week should determine Texas' nationally influential U.S. history textbook standards, as the conservative-dominated State Board of Education prepares to vote on the new standards Friday amid intense interest from activists on both sides.

These are the standards that publishers seeking to sell textbooks in Texas will have to use as a guide. TPMmuckraker started covering the story back in September, and it has since attracted national attention for what critics see as the board's outlandish right-wing recasting of U.S. history. Given the makeup of the board, look for a big win for conservatives Friday.

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Allen Stanford

Stanford 'A Wreck Of A Man' As Defense Team Turns To Dershowitz

Zachary Roth | May 19, 2010, 11:34AM

Alan Dershowitz and Allen Stanford

Allen Stanford has been reduced to "a wreck of a man" and fears he is "losing his mind" as he awaits trial in a Texas prison, according to his attorneys. They've brought in celebrity lawyer Alan Dershowitz to argue that the conditions in which Stanford is being held are hindering his ability to prepare a defense, and to request his immediate release.

The former high-living billionaire is in a bad way, according to a motion filed yesterday by his team -- "malnourished and underweight," "slow in his gait ... and in his speech and thoughts," quickly losing his memory, frequently falling into "mental black holes," and largely unable to use his right eye to read, thanks to the effects of a brutal physical assault.

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Mark Souder

Conservative Women's Group: Souder Affair Shows 'It Could Happen To Anyone'

Justin Elliott | May 19, 2010, 10:51AM

Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) and Concerned Women for America CEO Penny Nance

Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) conducted a years-long extramarital affair with a staffer while preaching traditional family values, sponsoring a "Marriage Protection Amendment" to the Constitution, and even filming a pro-abstinence video with his girlfriend.

But it turns out Souder had no agency in the matter after all, according to the president of a leading conservative women's group.

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Mark Souder

Asked In '98 If He'd Had An Affair, Souder Hung Up On Interviewer (AUDIO)

Justin Elliott | May 19, 2010, 9:20AM

Mark Souder in 2004 trying out Saddam Hussein's "Spider Hole"

This is fun: The folks at Democracy Now have posted Lewinsky scandal-era audio of host Amy Goodman asking Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), "are you now or have you ever been involved in an extramarital sexual affair?"

At which point, Souder's line goes dead.

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Tim Griffin

Split Decision Tuesday For U.S. Attorney Scandal Figures Turned Congressional Hopefuls

Justin Elliott | May 19, 2010, 8:46AM

Tim Griffin

Two Republicans with roles in the Bush-era U.S. attorney firings scandal were fighting for congressional nominations Tuesday, and the result is a split decision:

Mary Beth Buchanan, who was head of the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys when the firing list was being drawn up in 2005, was, in the words of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, was "trounced" in Pennsylvania's 4th Congressional District primary, getting just 33 percent of the vote. The winner was attorney Keith Rothfus.

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Mark Williams

Tea Party Leader: Allah Is 'Monkey God'

Zachary Roth | May 18, 2010, 5:35PM

Mark Williams

A top Tea Party leader, enraged by a plan to build a mosque near Ground Zero, has referred to the Islamic deity as a "monkey-god" and to Muslims as "the animals of allah." His Tea Party group, meanwhile, tells TPMmuckraker it's not concerned about the rhetoric.

Mark Williams, the conservative talk radio host who is listed as chairman of the Tea Party Express and acts as a frequent spokesman for the group, wrote on his blog Friday:

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Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

Senate Releases Report On Attempted Christmas Day Bombing

Jillian Rayfield | May 18, 2010, 5:12PM

Flight 253 bomb attack suspect Umar Abdulmutallab

The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released a report today on the alleged attack attempt on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

The Committee concluded that there were 14 points of failure by the intelligence community in its inability to detect the Christmas Day bombing attempt.

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Richard Blumenthal

Blumenthal: 'Few Misplaced Words' Were 'Absolutely Unintentional'

Rachel Slajda | May 18, 2010, 2:47PM

CT-SEN candidate Richard Blumenthal (D)

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said this afternoon that he "misspoke" when he said he served in Vietnam, saying the comments were "absolutely unintentional."

"On a few occasions, I have misspoken about my service and I take full responsibility. But I will not let anyone take a few misplaced words and impugn my record of service to our country," he said during a press conference today, surrounded by veterans who occasionally called out "Oorah! and "Semper fi."

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Mark Souder

Report: Souder And Mistress Allegedly Frequented State Parks

Justin Elliott | May 18, 2010, 2:44PM

Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN)

The Washington Post provides some detail on why Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), who won a Republican primary earlier this month, decided to resign over his affair with a staffer at this particular moment:

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Ken Cuccinelli

Eight Hundred Scientists And Profs To Cuccinelli: Drop Climate-Science Probe

Zachary Roth | May 18, 2010, 1:33PM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Eight hundred scientists and professors have signed a letter to Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, urging him to call off his investigation of a former University of Virginia climate scientist.

"The request is unfounded and could undermine the effectiveness of not only climate scientists but also thousands of other Virginia researchers," says the letter, which was organized by the environmental group the Union of Concerned Scientists.

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Mark Souder

Souder Announces Resignation, Without Wife, At Press Conference (VIDEO)

Justin Elliott | May 18, 2010, 1:15PM

Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN)

Admitting an affair with a staffer, Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) announced his resignation at a Fort Wayne press conference today -- and, in a comment not in his prepared statement, managed to briefly play the role of moralist by condemning philandering politicians who ask their wives to appear with them.

"My family were more than willing to stand here with me -- we are a committed family. But the error is mine and I should bear the responsibility," Souder said. "And, quite frankly, I'm sick of politicians who drag their spouses up in front of the cameras, rather than confronting the problem that they have caused."

And in another departure from his prepared remarks, Souder seemed to hint at some possible allegation of legal impropriety:

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CT-SEN

McMahon Campaign Takes Credit For Blumenthal Hit, Then Scrubs It

Rachel Slajda | May 18, 2010, 12:39PM

CT-SEN candidates Richard Blumenthal (D) and Linda McMahon (R)

Linda McMahon, one of the Republican opponents of Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, spent the morning taking credit for the New York Times piece that showed Blumenthal had misrepresented his military service.

The McMahon campaign didn't come right out and say they had tipped the Times to a 2008 video of Blumenthal saying he had served in Vietnam (he didn't). But, when a Connecticut blogger claimed the campaign fed the video to the Times, McMahon blasted the blog post out in an email to reporters. The campaign also posted it on Mcmahon's web site under the headline "In Case You Missed It: McMahon Strikes Blumenthal In NYT Article" and tweeted a link.

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Jeffrey D. Perry

Boston Globe: GOPer Involved In Illegal Strip Searches Of Teen Girls

Jillian Rayfield | May 18, 2010, 12:06PM

Congressional candidate Jeffrey D. Perry (MA)

State Rep. Jeffrey D. Perry (R-MA), who is also running for Congress, is getting some unwanted attention for his tenure as a police sergeant in the 1990s -- particularly for two illegal strip searches of teenage girls conducted by an officer under Perry's command.

While the officer was sentenced in 1994 to four years in prison, Perry was never convicted of any crime. But the Boston Globe is re-raising questions about the incidents in light of Perry's congressional bid.

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Richard Blumenthal

VIDEOS: Blumenthal On His Military Service

Rachel Slajda | May 18, 2010, 11:26AM

CT Attorney General Richard Blumenthal (D)

Something to compare: Videos of Richard Blumenthal saying, in March 2008, that he served in Vietnam and, in March 2010, saying he didn't.

Blumenthal, Connecticut's popular attorney general and Democratic Senate candidate, served in the Marine Reserve during the Vietnam War, but was never sent overseas. A New York Times story published yesterday showed that in speeches, many of them to veterans' groups, Blumenthal's ambiguous language suggested he had fought in Vietnam. And, in one instance, he clearly said he had served there.

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Ken Cuccinelli

Cuccinelli Won't Give Up Money From Founder Of Alleged Scam Charity -- Also Not Eager To Investigate

Zachary Roth | May 18, 2010, 11:08AM

VA Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Ken Cuccinelli says he has no plans to return contributions from a major backer whose veterans' charity is being probed in several states after a lengthy investigative report made it out to be a scam. The Virginia attorney general's office also doesn't sound eager to launch its own investigation of the charity.

Gov. Bob McDonnell's office said yesterday that it would donate to a legitimate veterans' charity the $5000 that McDonnell received last year from U.S. Navy Veterans Association founder Bobby Thompson. That move came in response to a series of stories in the St. Petersburg Times, which raised numerous red flags about USNVA, which claims to offer aid to navy veterans and raises money through phone solicitations. The stories revealed among other things that 84 of the group's 85 listed officers -- everyone but Thompson -- could not be located, and that USNVA refused to offer any documentation of its finances. The group is now being investigated by authorities in New Mexico, Missouri, and Florida, where it's based. Giving up the money is "the right thing to do," according to a McDonnell spokeswoman.

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Mark Souder

Rep. Souder And Mistress Recorded Video Praising Abstinence (WATCH)

Justin Elliott | May 18, 2010, 10:37AM

Tracy Jackson

Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) had an affair with a part-time staffer named Tracy Jackson, Fox is reporting. Jackson played the role of interviewer for a Souder Web video show on the issues of the day -- including one on the value of abstinence.

Dubbed "Congressional Update with Congressman Mark Souder," the show hit on issues like intelligent design and fencing the border.

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Immigration

Could Another Bybee Memo Help Preserve Arizona Immigration Law?

Zachary Roth | May 18, 2010, 10:00AM

Jay Bybee

A coalition of civil and immigrants rights groups has filed suit against Arizona's draconian immigration law. But efforts to challenge the law could be complicated by a memo written by one of the Bush Justice Department lawyers who also drafted some of the key opinions greenlighting torture.

Fourteen groups -- among them the ACLU of Arizona, the NAACP, and MALDEF -- filed the suit yesterday. They charge, among other things, that Arizona's law violates the federal Supremacy Clause by trying to bypass federal immigration law, and that it deprives minorities of their equal protection rights.

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Mark Souder

Family Values GOP Rep To Resign Over Affair (VIDEO)

Justin Elliott | May 18, 2010, 9:23AM

Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN)

Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), a champion of abstinence education and traditional family values, will resign effective Friday after an affair with a female staffer in his district office, he announced today.

He said in a statement that he "sinned against God, my wife and my family by having a mutual relationship with a part-time member of my staff." And he blamed the atmosphere in Washington for forcing him to make the move:

"In the poisonous environment of Washington, D.C., any personal failing is seized upon, often twisted, for political gain. I am resigning rather than to put my family through that painful, drawn-out process."

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Andrew Breitbart

Breitbart Dreams Of Debating, Punching Sean Penn

Justin Elliott | May 18, 2010, 8:56AM

Andrew Breitbart

The New Yorker is out with a profile of Andrew Breitbart, and out of 7,000 words of bluster from the conservative media baron, this passage caught our eye:

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Richard Blumenthal

NYT: CT-Sen Candidate Misrepresented Vietnam Record

Rachel Slajda | May 18, 2010, 8:41AM

CT Attorney General Richard Blumenthal (D)

The New York Times reported last night that Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut's attorney general and the Democratic frontrunner in the Senate race there, has made misleading remarks about serving in the Vietnam War.

Blumenthal never fought in Vietnam. He received five deferments before joining the Marine Reserve.

But in speeches to veterans' groups, he's sometimes given a different impression.

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Miranda rights

Republican Darrell Issa, Champion Of Miranda Rights? (VIDEO)

Justin Elliott | May 17, 2010, 5:02PM

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)

In an appearance on Bill Maher's show Friday, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), who has previously slammed President Obama for coddling terrorists, emerged as an unlikely and eloquent defender of preserving Miranda rights, speaking out strongly against Attorney General Eric Holder's proposal to loosen the rule.

Issa, one of the Obama Administration's most persistent critics, has criticized the president for, in the words of a February Chicago Sun-Times column by Issa, "the administration's decisions to treat terrorist detainees like common criminals."

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New Orleans Police Department

Feds Announce Probe Of New Orleans Police Dept.

Justin Elliott | May 17, 2010, 4:40PM

Thomas Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division

In a press conference in New Orleans today, Justice Department Civil Rights chief Thomas Perez announced the DOJ is launching a formal assessment of the city's troubled police department, the first step to installing federal oversight.

The Times-Picayune reports:

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NFIB

Getting Back On Grover's Good Side? Small-Business Lobby Joins Anti-HCR Suit

Zachary Roth | May 17, 2010, 3:10PM

Grover Norquist

Is a key business lobby group back on the right-wing reservation?

Earlier this year, Grover Norquist, the long-time majordomo of Washington's conservative alliance, called out the National Federation of Independent Businesses for not doing enough to fight President Obama's agenda. "The biggest hole in the center-right bloc is that the NFIB is not being the tribune of the masses on this," Norquist told National Journal in February. "Why is that? That is a fascinating question."

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Ken Cuccinelli

Top Cuccinelli Contributor's Mysterious 'Charity' Under Scrutiny

Zachary Roth | May 17, 2010, 12:07PM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

A major backer of Ken Cuccinelli is being probed in several states for running a charity that a lengthy newspaper investigation suggests may be an elaborate and long-running fraud.

There's no evidence that Cuccinelli, now the attorney general of Virginia, was aware there was anything untoward about Bobby Thompson or his charity, the U.S. Navy Veterans Association (USNVA), which says it offers assistance to navy veterans. Still, the news has forced the ambitious AG -- whose reputation for rectitude is a key part of his appeal to conservatives -- to answer some awkward questions. And the full story of what happened in Virginia suggests how easily one state government may have been taken in by a noble-sounding cause and a some well-timed campaign contributions.

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Bernard Kerik

Kerik Reports To Prison Today

Rachel Slajda | May 17, 2010, 10:44AM

Fmr. NYC Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik

Bernard Kerik, the former NYPD commissioner who served during 9/11 and was President Bush's first choice for Homeland Security secretary, will report to prison today to begin a four-year sentence. In February, Kerik pleaded guilty to lying to White House officials during his DHS vetting process and to charges of tax fraud.

Yesterday, Kerik, who has been under house arrest since his sentencing, reflected on the past 10 years in a lengthy blog post titled, "It is time to move forward."

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Florida

Report: Meek Sought Earmarks For Developer Who Paid His Staffer, Hired His Mom

Justin Elliott | May 17, 2010, 10:26AM

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL)

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL), who is running for Senate in Florida, sought earmarks to help a developer who gave a top Meek staffer $13,000 in 2003 for a down payment on a house, and paid Meek's mother, former congresswoman Carrie Meek, $90,000 plus use of a Cadillac Escalade for consulting services, the Miami Herald reports.

The developer, Dennis Stackhouse, is now facing fraud charges associated with the Poinciana Park project in Liberty City, Miami, a proposed biopharmaceutical complex that was never built.

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Textbooks

TX Textbooks Proposal: Students Must Discuss Gutting Social Security, Explain How U.N. Undermines U.S.

Justin Elliott | May 17, 2010, 9:00AM

Don McLeroy

With the long-running Texas history textbooks standards fight scheduled to end with a final vote by the State Board of Education Friday, arch-conservative board member Don McLeroy is proposing a new set of changes that read like a tea party manifesto.

The new amendment (.pdf), which is expected to get a vote on Thursday, would require high school history students to "discuss alternatives regarding long term entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare, given the decreasing worker to retiree ratio" and also "evaluate efforts by global organizations to undermine U. S. sovereignty."

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