Kenneth Del Vecchio

NJ GOPer Premieres Anti-Abortion Suspense Flick This Weekend

Jillian Rayfield | June 3, 2011, 6:29PM

Kenneth Del Vecchio, a Republican candidate for New Jersey state Senate and a producer of conservative-themed films, is premiering a psychological thriller this weekend with a pro-life twist: Three pregnant women, who intend to have abortions, are kidnapped and forced to carry their pregnancies to term.

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John Edwards

Could Old Dem Divorce Loan Boost Edwards' Legal Case?

Ryan J. Reilly | June 3, 2011, 5:27PM

Former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC)

The feds say former Senator and presidential candidate John Edwards had a wealthy donor give money to his mistress because his campaign relied on his image as a family man.

But the Edwards camp has a pretty strong -- if sleazy -- rebuttal: he would have asked the friend to give money to his mistress even if he wasn't running for president to keep her and the child they had together hidden from his wife.

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John Edwards

John Edwards: I've Done Wrong, But I Did Not Break The Law (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | June 3, 2011, 3:35PM

Former Senator and presidential candidate John Edwards just made a brief statement to cameras outside of a federal courtroom in North Carolina where he pled not guilty to charges he skirted campaign finance laws when he used donor money to cover up his affair.

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John Edwards

John Edwards Lawyer Greg Craig: 'He Has Broken No Law' (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | June 3, 2011, 2:33PM

Former Senator John Edwards (D-NC)

A lawyer for former Senator and presidential candidate John Edwards said Friday that the Democrat has broken no law and that the Justice Department's case against him was "unprecedented."

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Emergency Committee for Israel

Pro-Israel Group's Ad Says Obama 'Sided With The Palestinians' (VIDEO)

Eric Lach | June 3, 2011, 2:04PM

A new ad by the Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI), a group founded by William Kristol and Gary Bauer, accuses President Obama of siding "with the Palestinians," and thanks politicians, particularly Democrats, who it says "stood with Israel" against the President's call for negotiations based on 1967 borders, with land swaps.

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Rielle Hunter

How John Edwards' $400 Haircut Lead To Alleged Illegal Donations

Ryan J. Reilly | June 3, 2011, 12:25PM

John Edwards

It was April 2007 and Bunny Mellon, a then 96-year-old wealthy supporter of former Sen. John Edwards, was angry over how the media was over-blowing the news that the North Carolina Democrat got a $400 haircut.

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John Edwards

Feds: John Edwards Skirted Campaign Finance Law To Cover Up Affair

Ryan J. Reilly | June 3, 2011, 10:31AM

Former Senator and Presidential Candidate John Edwards

As expected, former Senator and Presidential candidate John Edwards has been indicted by a grand jury.

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Anna Eshoo

Eshoo: Chamber Having 'Sissy Fit' Over Campaign Disclosure

Ryan J. Reilly | June 3, 2011, 9:20AM

Rep. Anna Eschoo (D-CA)

Lawmakers on Thursday offered two competing amendments to a bill addressing the anonymous flow of taxpayer money to third party political groups. One would have required disclosure of such donations, the other would ban the government from doing anything to shed any light on the financial flows.

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) said her amendment, which was ruled out of order, would "require that anyone that receives an appropriation, a contract, doing business with the federal government produce full disclosure relative to political expenditures." She said it would eliminate "a dark corner of our system that is not being addressed."

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John Edwards

Reports: John Edwards Facing Indictment Today

Ryan J. Reilly | June 3, 2011, 8:32AM

John Edwards

Former Senator and Presidential candidate John Edwards will face criminal indictment today for allegedly violating campaign finance laws unless a last-minute deal is reached, ABC News reports.

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Joe Arpaio

DOJ Settles With Sheriff Joe Arpaio After He Gives Up Docs For Discrimination Probe

Ryan J. Reilly | June 2, 2011, 4:45PM

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the controversial anti-immigration official under federal investigation because his police practices and jail operations allegedly discriminate based on national origin, has reached a settlement with the Justice Department requiring him to turn over documents he's refused to give investigators.

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Planned Parenthood

Indiana Moving Ahead With Planned Parenthood Defund Despite Order From Feds

Jillian Rayfield | June 2, 2011, 4:02PM

Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN)

Officials in Indiana say they will continue to implement a law that cuts all federal funding for Planned Parenthood in the state, despite a warning from the Department of Health and Human Services that the law violates the rules of Medicaid.

Marcus J. Barlow, spokesman for the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, said they are consulting with the state Attorney General on how to proceed. "The way the law was written, it went into effect the moment the governor signed it," Barlow told the National Journal. "We were just advised by our lawyers that we should continue to enforce Indiana law."

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Anthony Weiner

Leaked Emails Show Tip To Breitbart About Weiner Tweet

Benjy Sarlin | June 2, 2011, 3:37PM

The ongoing scandal surrounding a lewd tweet sent from Rep. Anthony Weiner's (D-NY) Twitter account took yet another turn for the weird Thursday as alleged e-mails between the person who first noticed the photo and conservative media guru Andrew Breitbart were leaked.

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FEC

Dems Want NRCC Vice Chair To Step Down After FEC Seeks Fine From His Car Dealership

Ryan J. Reilly | June 2, 2011, 1:55PM

Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL)

Florida Democrats are calling on Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) to step down from a key roll at the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) because his former auto dealership is accused of violating election laws.

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Sovereign Citizens

'Sovereign Citizen' Opens Fire On Store Because It Ran Out Of Crawfish

Jillian Rayfield | June 2, 2011, 12:54PM

Larry Wayne Kelly and a crawfish

A 'sovereign citizen' in Pensacola, Florida allegedly opened fire at a seafood market after learning that they had run out of crawfish.

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Goldman Sachs

Manhattan DA Subpoenas Goldman Sachs Over Financial Crisis

Eric Lach | June 2, 2011, 12:38PM

Lloyd Blankfein, Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs & Co.

Goldman Sachs has received a subpoena from the Manhattan District Attorney's office, which is looking for information on the bank's activities leading up to the financial crisis, two sources "familiar with the matter" told Bloomberg.

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Gay Marriage

Minnesotans Evenly Split Over Vote To Constitutionally Ban Same Sex Marriage

Jon Terbush | June 2, 2011, 12:22PM

Demonstrators both for and against a constitutional ban on same sex marriage inside the Minnesota State Capitol

As California's constitutional ban on same sex marriage winds its way through the courts, a showdown over a similar marriage-defining referendum is brewing in Minnesota. And according to a PPP poll released this week, that battle could be hotly contested, as it found voters there are evenly split on the issue.

In the poll, 46% of registered voters said the state should amend its Constitution to stipulate that marriage can only be between a man and a woman, while 47% said they opposed such an amendment.

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Chamber of Commerce

Transparency Efforts By Corporations Undermine Chamber's Anti-Disclosure Stance

Ryan J. Reilly | June 2, 2011, 10:25AM

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce claims that a draft executive order being considered by the Obama administration would be an assault on free speech. The proposed order would require federal contractors to disclose donations to third party groups. But many of the companies affiliated with the Chamber have extolled the values of disclosure and already publicly reveal their donations voluntarily.

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War On Drugs

'Global Commission' Of Former Officials Says War On Drugs Has Failed

Eric Lach | June 2, 2011, 9:47AM

The Global Commission on Drug Policy, which includes several former heads of state and UN officials, has released a report calling the global war on drugs a failure.

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Sovereign Citizens

'Sovereign Citizen' Allegedly Sends White Powder To Feds Handling His Back Taxes Case

Jillian Rayfield | June 2, 2011, 9:31AM

A man in Colorado was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly sent a manila envelope filled with white powder to state officials who were handling his back taxes case.

The envelope, which contained what turned out to be baking soda, also contained a 32-page letter that disputed the charges, and used language associated with the sovereign citizen movement, according to prosecutors.

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Anthony Weiner

Anthony Weiner to Maddow: Lewd Twitter Photo 'Could Be' A Private Picture (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | June 2, 2011, 12:05AM

Anthony Weiner

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) said Wednesday night that a lewd photo that was published on his Twitter account "could have" been of him but said it "doesn't look familiar."

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Jerrold Nadler

Nadler: Bush-Era DOJers Running 'Willie Horton Campaign' Against Civil Rights Division

Ryan J. Reilly | June 1, 2011, 2:15PM

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)

Former Bush-era Justice Department employees are making a career out of running a "Willie Horton campaign" against the Obama administration's Civil Rights Division, Rep. Jerrold Nadler said Wednesday. The New York Democrat claimed the ex-DOJ employees were scaring people into thinking the administration is favoring minorities over white people.

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Anthony Weiner

Weiner: 'I Can't Say With Certitude' Lewd Photo Wasn't Me (VIDEO)

Eric Lach | June 1, 2011, 2:10PM

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY)

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) told MSNBC's Luke Russert today that he couldn't say "with certitude" that the lewd photograph sent out last weekend on his Twitter account wasn't a picture of him.

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Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin: Gas Prices Are So High We Might Not Finish Our PAC-Funded Vacation (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | June 1, 2011, 11:25AM

Plenty of Americans are worried about whether they'll be able to pay for their family vacations this summer due to the high price of gas. Sarah Palin is worried that her PAC won't be able to afford it.

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Citizens For A Better Arizona

Arizonans File To Recall Author Of Controversial Immigration Law

Jillian Rayfield | June 1, 2011, 10:22AM

State Senator Russell Pearce (R-AZ)

A group of Arizonans filed a petition Tuesday to recall the state's Senate President Russell Pearce (R), who authored the state's controversial immigration law and has also dabbled in tentherism and birtherism.

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Alaska

Alaska Finally Ready To Release Palin's Old Emails

Eric Lach | June 1, 2011, 9:36AM

Sarah Palin

The state of Alaska will soon release more than 24,000 pages of Sarah Palin's emails from her time as governor, documents that media outlets first requested more than two years ago, when Palin was running for vice president.

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Anthony Weiner

Combative Weiner Shirks Questions About Lewd Photo 'Hack' (VIDEO)

Eric Lach | May 31, 2011, 7:00PM

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY)

In his second recorded exchange with reporters on Tuesday, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) pointedly refused to answer questions from reporters about the lewd photograph that appeared on his Twitter account this weekend. Instead, the Congressman insisted that the incident was a "prank" and a "distraction," and said he'd made a decision to move on.

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Citizens United

Judicial Takebacks: Reagan Nominee Overlooked Supreme Court Ruling On Corporate Donations

Ryan J. Reilly | May 31, 2011, 6:50PM

Last week a federal judge nominated by President Ronald Reagan rocked the campaign finance world when he ruled that corporations could give directly to candidates. Now he's signaled he might want a do over.

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Joe Miller

Joe Miller To Join Boatload Of Birthers For World Net Daily's 'Tea Party At Sea' Alaska Cruise

Jillian Rayfield | May 31, 2011, 4:47PM

Candidate for U.S. Senate Joe Miller (R-AK)

So you're a Tea Party star still licking his wounds from being the first person in more than 50 years to lose to a write-in candidate for the U.S. Senate. You deserve a break from it all, a summer vacation -- but where to go? If you're Joe Miller, how about a few days on a boat with a bunch of birthers cruising around Alaska?

"ENLIST NOW," the cruise's site says, "to be on board with the most freedom-embracing and liberty-loving navy at sea: the WND Navy and the Tea Party at Sea!"

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Anthony Weiner

Weiner On Twitter 'Hack': 'I'm Not Going To Talk About This Anymore'

Eric Lach | May 31, 2011, 4:24PM

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY)

Four days after a lewd photograph appeared on his Twitter account, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) continues to get questions about it from reporters. Over the last several days, the congressman and his office have called the incident a "hack," a "prank" and a "distraction" -- and on Tuesday Weiner told reporters that he was "not going to talk about this anymore."

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Sovereign Citizens

Two AK Sovereign Citizens Lose Tax Case Which Allegedly Led To Plot To Kill Judge

Jillian Rayfield | May 31, 2011, 12:49PM

Lonnie and Karen Vernon, two sovereign citizens and militia members in Alaska, lost a court case over $180,000 in taxes they owe to the IRS, a case that allegedly led to a plot to kill a U.S. District Judge, an IRS employee, and two state troopers.

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Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood Sues South Dakota Over Restrictive Abortion Law

Jon Terbush | May 31, 2011, 10:46AM

Planned Parenthood sued the state of South Dakota last Friday over a new law that requires women to receive counseling at a "pregnancy help center" before they can have an abortion, and imposes a 72-hour waiting period between that counseling and when a doctor can perform the procedure.

In a press release, Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota said that the new law toughens what were already the most stringent abortion laws in the nation and infringes on both patients' and doctors' First Amendment rights against "compelled speech."

"This law goes farther than any other in the country in intruding on the doctor-patient relationship, and putting women and families at risk," Sarah Stoesz, president and chief executive of Planned Parenthood, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota was quoted as saying in the press release.

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Ted Haggard

Ted Haggard To Make Cameo In Pro-Abstinence Christian Sex Comedy

Jillian Rayfield | May 31, 2011, 10:45AM

Rev. Ted Haggard in "The Waiting Game"

See if you can count the contradictions in this sentence: Rev. Ted Haggard will make a cameo as himself in a Christian sex comedy promoting abstinence, with the tagline "abstinence never felt so good."

Called The Waiting Game, the movie follows a schlub named Jack who's super excited about finally losing his virginity on his wedding night, but is foiled when his fiancee leaves him at the altar. He then goes on a quest to meet a replacement wife, while contemplating whether or not to remain abstinent.

In 2006 Haggard resigned in disgrace from the New Life Church after revelations that he had had a drug-fueled sexual relationship with a gay male former escort. After years of denying that he is gay, he recently admitted to GQ that "probably, if I were 21 in this society, I would identify myself as a bisexual."

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Anthony Weiner

Rep. Weiner Retaining Counsel In Lewd Twitter Photo 'Hack'

Eric Lach | May 30, 2011, 5:07PM

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY)

Rep. Anthony Weiner's spokesman says the New York Democrat has retained counsel to explore possible legal action after a lewd photograph was posted on his Twitter feed this weekend. According to Weiner, the photograph, which showed a close-up of a man's crotch in tight underwear and was addressed to a 21-year-old Seattle woman, was the work of a hacker.

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Roger Ailes

Rolling Stone: Roger Ailes' Bomb Proof Office Protects Him From 'Those Gays'

Ryan J. Reilly | May 30, 2011, 1:25PM

Fox News president Roger Ailes

Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes is big on security. And as he sees it, according a report in Rolling Stone, the two biggest threats to his personal well-being are al-Qaeda terrorists and "those gays."

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