Rachel Slajda: January 30, 2011 - February 5, 2011

About | Subscribe | RSS

TPMMuckraker
Rachel Slajda

LiveAction Releases Second Planned Parenthood Vid

Rachel Slajda | February 4, 2011, 8:44AM

LiveAction's Lila Rose

LiveAction, the anti-abortion group that targets Planned Parenthood with undercover videos, released a second video Thursday of what it says is a Planned Parenthood employee aiding in child sex trafficking.

In the video, a man -- identified by LiveAction as an actor -- tells a Planned Parenthood employee in Virginia that he is in "sex work" and "manages girls" as young as 14 and 15. He asks questions about disease testing and abortions for girls under 18, and the employee provides answers.

This, LiveAction says, proves that Planned Parenthood aids federal criminals and fails to report crimes such as the ones the actor was pretending to have committed.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)
Topics: Abortion, Lila Rose, LiveAction, Planned Parenthood

Egypt

Mubarak: I Want To Quit But If I Do, Egypt Will Sink Into Chaos

Rachel Slajda | February 3, 2011, 3:33PM

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak

In his first interview since violence broke out in Cairo yesterday, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says that he wants to step down immediately, but cannot because he's afraid Egypt would sink into chaos.

Mubarak gave a brief interview to ABC News' Christiane Amanpour in the presidential palace today.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)
Topics: Christiane Amanpour, Egypt, Egyptian Jan 25 Protests, Hosni Mubarak

Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood Fires Employee Who Helped Pro-Lifer Posed As Pimp

Rachel Slajda | February 2, 2011, 3:43PM

Planned Parenthood has fired an employee who apparently advised a man pretending to be a pimp to underage girls and illegal immigrants. The New Jersey attorney general is also investigating.

The firing stems from an undercover video released by the anti-abortion, anti-Planned Parenthood group LiveAction. LiveAction staged visits to eight Planned Parenthood clinics this month, including the Central New Jersey clinic shown in the video, during which an activist pretended to be a pimp. He told employees that he "managed girls," including 14- and 15-year-olds and illegal immigrants, and wanted to know how to get them tested for sexually transmitted diseases and potentially get abortions without alerting authorities.

In the video, a manager at the clinic appears to advise the man and a female companion on how to avoid scrutiny by having the girls lie about their age or go to another non-Planned Parenthood clinic altogether.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)
Topics: James O'Keefe, Lila Rose, LiveAction, Planned Parenthood

Egypt

Violence Erupts In Cairo; CNN Crew, Other Journalists Attacked

Rachel Slajda | February 2, 2011, 9:37AM

Anderson Cooper

Violence erupted Wednesday afternoon in Cairo a day after President Hosni Mubarak vowed to step down in September, as thousands of Mubarak supporters stormed Tahrir Square, some on horseback and camels, and reportedly attacked anti-government protesters.

The Mubarak supporters are said -- according to Al-Jazeera English, the BBC, CNN and the New York Times -- to be carrying machetes, sticks and other weapons. The two groups are reportedly throwing rocks at each other in Tahrir Square and the surrounding streets.

Anderson Cooper, the CNN anchor, reported that he and his crew were attacked by Mubarak supporters today.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)
Topics: Al Jazeera, Anderson Cooper, CNN, Egypt, Egyptian Jan 25 Protests, Hosni Mubarak

Planned Parenthood

Sex Ring Was A Hoax; Live Action Posts Video Targeting Planned Parenthood

Rachel Slajda | February 1, 2011, 2:22PM

When a man showed up at eight Planned Parenthood clinics in five states within five days, claiming that he ran an underage sex trafficking ring, Planned Parenthood reported it to the FBI. They also figured it was probably a "hoax" in which anti-abortion types were trying to catch clinic employees saying something damning on tape.

Planned Parenthood was right. Today, Live Action, an anti-abortion group run by James O'Keefe associate Lila Rose, posted a video it claims shows a Planned Parenthood employee in New Jersey instructing a "pimp" on how to get his underage and illegal immigrant sex workers STD testing and abortions.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)
Topics: Lila Rose, New Jersey, Planned Parenthood

John Ensign

Senate Ethics Committee Moves Forward In Ensign Investigation

Rachel Slajda | February 1, 2011, 10:32AM

Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)

The Senate Ethics Committee has appointed a special counsel to handle the committee's preliminary investigation into Sen. John Ensign (R-NV).

The committee announced today that it has hired Carol Elder Bruce, a partner at K&L Gates LLP. Bruce will lead the investigation into whether Ensign broke Senate rules and/or federal law.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (2)
Topics: John Ensign, Lobbyists, Senate Ethics Committee, Sex

voter fraud

Republican Majorities Pushing Photo ID Voter Requirements Across Country

Rachel Slajda | January 31, 2011, 1:10PM

A voter shows ID in Atlanta, Ga.

With Election Day three months behind us and new legislators settling in across the country, Republicans in many states are trying to push new laws that would require photo ID at the polls. The laws, they say, would prevent rampant voter fraud.

Seven states already have laws requiring photo ID at the polls. Another 19, including some of the states below, require some form of identification, but it doesn't need to have a photo.

Critics say it such requirements impose undue hardships on those trying to vote, reminiscent of the literacy tests of yore that kept black voters from voting in the South.