NewsTrust - Congressional Oversight - Most Recent Stories

New Evidence of Scott Walker Lying to Congress

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

The Nation - By John Nichols - May. 27 (News Report) - there is new evidence to suggest that Walker’s testimony to Congress about when he began preparing his anti-labor legislation—which sparked mass demonstrations and a recall movement that will culminate with a June 5 vote on whether to recall the governor—was not truthful.

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Super Tuesday guide: Finding truth in the attacks

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0800

PolitiFact - By Becky Bowers - Mar. 04 (Fact Check) - As 10 states prepare to vote on Super Tuesday, here’s PolitiFact’s guide to the multimillion-dollar ad blitz. With the field down to four Republican contenders, campaigns and super PACs are attacking their opponents with hot-button allegations about supporting Planned Parenthood, Obamacare and even Nancy Pelosi that are designed to strike fear in the hearts of Republican voters. There's been some piling on. We've seen several examples where two (or more) candidates have made the same attack. The one candidate who hasn't been attacked much: Ron Paul. He's has been busy attacking others — but we didn’t find ads attacking him. ... >>More

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EXCLUSIVE: Virginia Officials Confirm Criminal Election Fraud Investigation of Gingrich Campaign

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Brad Blog - Jan. 31 (News) - Had the same thing been carried out by a worker for the now-defunct ACORN, Republicans -- and even Newt Gingrich -- would have called it massive "voter fraud". But the 1,500 acts of fraud, by Gingrich's own admission, were carried out by a worker hired by his campaign, so ...

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Gingrich On Climate Change

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

FactCheck - By Brooks Jackson - Dec. 07 (Fact Check) - Newt Gingrich went too far when he claimed that “I’ve never favored cap-and-trade.” It’s true he’s never favored the approach taken by Democrats, but he said in 2007 that he would “strongly support” cap-and-trade if combined with “a tax-incentive program for investing in the solutions”.

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The Pledge: Grover Norquist's hold on the GOP

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

60 Minutes - By Steve Kroft - Nov. 22 (Special Report) - As head of Americans for Tax Reform since 1986, Grover Norquist has transformed a single issue - preventing tax hikes - into one of the key platforms of the Republican Party. As Steve Kroft reports, his biggest coup was getting more than 270 members of Congress, and nearly all of the 2012 Republican presidential primary candidates, to sign a pledge promising never to vote to raise taxes. But some opponents say the pledge may be hindering a solution to America's debt crisis.

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Congress: Trading stock on inside information?

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

CBS News - By Steve Kroft, Ira Rosen, Gabrielle Schonde - Nov. 16 (Special Report) - Washington, D.C. is a town that runs on inside information - but should our elected officials be able to use that information to pad their own pockets? As Steve Kroft reports, members of Congress and their aides have regular access to powerful political intelligence, and many have made well-timed stock market trades in the very industries they regulate. For now, the practice is perfectly legal, but some say it's time for the law to change.

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Rand Paul Wants Koch Brothers Thrown in Jail!

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Brad Blog - Sep. 24 (Opinion) - Lee Fang at Think Progress offers devastating coverage in response to Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)'s recent claim to The Street's Mallory Factor (video here) that those who pollute streams with benzene should be thrown in jail. "I don’t want to pollute the water. I don’t want to pollute streams," said Paul, ...

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Is the SEC Covering Up Wall Street Crimes?

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Rolling Stone - By Matt Taibbi - Aug. 17 (Investigative Report) - Imagine a world in which a man who is repeatedly investigated for a string of serious crimes, but never prosecuted, has his slate wiped clean every time the cops fail to make a case. No more Lifetime channel specials where the murderer is unveiled after

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Medicare cost-cutting board is under fire - The Washington Post

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By N. C. Aizenman - Aug. 12 (Investigative Report) - Known as the Independent Payment Advisory Board, or IPAB, it has been touted by President Obama as an essential tool for curbing Medicare spending over the long term. Comprising 15 health-care experts to be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, the IPAB will have unparalleled authority to make cuts to the health insurance program for the elderly if yearly spending exceeds the law’s targets by as soon as 2015. Congress could overrule the panel, but only if it musters a super-majority in the Senate or comes up with an alternate plan that saves the same amount.

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DNC chair blames Tea Party ‘tyrants’ for S&P credit rating downgrade

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Hill - By Alicia M. Cohn - Aug. 08 (Opinion) - Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill: DNC chair blames Tea Party ‘tyrants’ for S&P credit rating downgrade — The head of the Democratic National Committee joined Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) on Monday in casting blame for the U.S. credit downgrade on the Tea Party movement. — Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) …

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For lesson in shared sacrifice, send Congress to boot camp

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

CNN - By Russel L Honore - Aug. 02 (Editorial) - Like most veterans, the men and women who have worn our nation's uniform to defend this country, I am furious with and disappointed in the state of indecision that plagued Washington these past few weeks. Whether or not to raise the debt ceiling so our country can continue to pay our bills and maintain our global credit rating didn't seem like such a difficult decision.

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Why President Obama Is Losing the Budget Fight

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Nation - Apr. 12 (Opinion) - Friday night’s dramatic budget agreement represented a major defeat for President Obama and Congressional Democrats. On substance, John Boehner and Congressional Republicans received $7 billion more in spending cuts than they originally asked for. From a messaging standpoint, the entire debate unfolded on the GOP’s terms (excerpt for a brief interlude concerning Planned Parenthood)—the discussion was about how much to cut, not whether to cut or who would be impacted by such cuts or if such cuts would depress economic growth. The word “jobs” was practically absent from the debate.

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Tea party leader: John Boehner should go

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0800

The Politico - By Jennifer Epstein - Mar. 03 (News Report) - A national tea party group is in revolt against House Speaker John Boehner and wants to see him defeated in a 2012 primary, arguing that he looks “like a fool” in the debate over spending cuts and makes less sense than actor Charlie Sheen.

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The FBI Has Been Violating Your Liberties in Ways That May Shock You

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

AlterNet - By Julianne Escobedo Shepherd - Feb. 03 (News) - As Congress seeks to renew the Patriot Act, new information exposes egregious FBI violations.

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EFF Uncovers Widespread FBI Intelligence Violations

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

eff.org - By Mark Rumold - Jan. 30 (Research) - EFF has uncovered widespread violations stemming from FBI intelligence investigations from 2001 - 2008. In a report released today, EFF documents alarming trends in the Bureau’s intelligence investigation practices, suggesting that FBI intelligence investigations have compromised the civil liberties of American citizens far more frequently, and to a greater extent, than was previously assumed.

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Watchdog: U.S. Risks Wasting Billions In Afghan Security Aid Given 'Inadequate Planning'

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Huffington Post - By Amanda Terkel - Jan. 27 (News Report) - The United States is at risk of wasting roughly $11.4 billion unless it comes up with a plan for constructing and maintaining nearly 900 Afghan National Security Forces facilities, according to a new report by a top federal watchdog. The news comes as U.S. President Barack Obama considers a military-backed proposal significantly boost the size of those forces.

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Which Darrell Issa would run House oversight panel?

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Ruth Marcus - Oct. 27 (Opinion) - The election is less than a week away. Democratic control of the House is in jeopardy. So it's not too soon to start worrying about Darrell Issa.

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How Hank Paulson's Inaction Helped Goldman Sachs

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

McClatchy - By Greg Gordon - Oct. 10 (Special Report) - Henry Paulson has received widespread acclaim for his bare-knuckled decision-making as the treasury secretary at the peak of the 2008 financial crisis, but former federal regulators say he missed multiple chances to contain the disaster.Among the prime beneficiaries of Paulson's inaction in 2006 and 2007 was Goldman Sachs, the investment banking behemoth he ran before he was named to former President George W. Bush's Cabinet.read more

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US Government 'hiding true amount of debt'

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Melbourne Herald Sun - By Gregory Bresiger - Sep. 20 (News) - The actual figure of the US' national debt is much higher than the official sum of $US13.4 trillion ($14.3 trillion) given by the Congressional Budget Office, according to analysts cited on Sunday by the New York Post.

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Feds clear DeLay after six years

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700

The Politico - By Mike Allen - Aug. 16 (News Report) - The Justice Department has informed former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) that the government has ended a six-year investigation of his ties to the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to DeLay's lead counsel in the matter, Richard Cullen, chairman of McGuireWoods. The investigation lasted through two presidents and four attorneys general. Its demise provides a stark footnote to the lobbying scandals that helped Democrats regain the House majority they held for 40 years and lost in the Republican revolution of 1994, which eventually made the pugnacious DeLay one of Washington’s top power brokers.

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Waters chooses ethics trial

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700

The Politico - By Jonathan Allen - Jul. 30 (News Report) - Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has chosen to go through an ethics trial, like the one lined up for New York Rep. Charles Rangel, rather than accepting charges made by an ethics subcommittee, a source familiar with the process tells POLITICO.

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Rangel likely violated ethics rule

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700

The Politico - By John Bresnahan - Jul. 22 (News Report) - After a nearly two-year investigation, a House ethics subcommittee has determined that Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) violated ethics rules, yet another blow to the Harlem Democrat who already lost a powerful chairmanship over his ethics problems. But Rangel has disagreed with the ethics committee’s judgment, and he has forced the panel to hold an unusual hearing into the accusations against him, setting up what amounts to a trial on accusations about his finances, funding for pet projects and his real estate properties. Rangel’s rejection of the allegations also delays any final resolution on the ethics questions as he heads toward a Sept. 14 Democratic primary in New York.

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Blackwater Strikes Again

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Common Dreams - Jul. 10 - by Christopher BrauchliThe Gods have their own rules. -Ovid, Metamorphoses One of the many nice things about being a United States Senator is that you can ask just about anyone in government to explain actions being taken and anticipate a response and, in many cases, a change in conduct. Here is one example of how a United States Senator was able to influence policy. It pertains to Blackwater. read more

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Why Obamanomics Has Failed

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Wall Street Journal - By Allan Meltzer - Jun. 30 (Opinion) - Two overarching reasons explain the failure of Obamanomics. First, administration economists and their outside supporters neglected the longer-term costs and consequences of their actions. Second, the administration and Congress have through their deeds and words heightened uncertainty about the economic future. High uncertainty is the enemy of investment and growth. Most of the earlier spending was a very short-term response to long-term problems. One piece financed temporary tax cuts. This was a mistake, and ignores the role of expectations in the economy. Economic theory predicts that temporary tax cuts have little effect on spending. Unless tax cuts are expected to last, consumers save the proceeds and pay down debt.

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The General and his Senate Vassals

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Military.com - By Winslow Wheeler - Jun. 25 (Opinion) - Whatever you may think of General Stanley McChrystal and his succession by General David Petraeus, something very sad is about to happen. The Senate Armed Services Committee has already scheduled its hearing for the constitutionally required confirmation of General Petraeus in his new job. Watch that hearing. (It will occur at 9:30 am on Tuesday, June 29 and will be broadcast by the committee's webcast, and surely C-SPAN.) You will observe how useless and ineffectual the Senate Armed Services Committee, among others, has become at performing its most important job.

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