Employees troubled by Gingrich's Tiffany purchases, included employee gifts The Washington Post reports that employees of presidential candidate Newt Gingrich grew increasingly concerned in recent years about their boss’s purchases from luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co., worried that if he followed through on plans to run for president it could become a political liability. The purchases included jewelry items valued as much as $300,000 for his wife’s Christmas gifts, selected each year during a fall Potomac River cruise sponsored by the jeweler. On a smaller scale, Gingrich spent about $40,000 over four years buying Tiffany trinkets as Christmas gifts for up to 100 employees, according to three former employees who asked not to be named because of the issue’s sensitivity. The former employees agreed to be interviewed by The Washington Post to explain how staff concerns mounted about Gingrich’s spending and his relationship with Tiffany. All three said they admire Gingrich but question his judgment. The former employees said Gingrich’s gift-giving at first was regarded as a sign of his generosity. At annual Christmas dinners for employees, small Tiffany boxes wrapped in white ribbon were left at each place setting, each containing gifts costing roughly $100 or more. The Gingriches were generous to staff in other ways, typically contributing up to 20 percent of each staffer’s salary to their pension funds and giving a minimum year-end bonus of 20 percent of base salary — often much more.
Herman Cain Unveils Epic Obama Attack Ad:
Strauss-Kahn Case Could Be Collapsing The sexual assault case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn is on the verge of collapse as investigators have uncovered major holes in the credibility of the housekeeper who charged that he attacked her in his Manhattan hotel suite in May, according to two well-placed law enforcement officials. Although forensic tests found unambiguous evidence of a sexual encounter between Mr. Strauss-Kahn, a French politician, and the woman, prosecutors now do not believe much of what the accuser has told them about the circumstances or about herself. Since her initial allegation on May 14, the accuser has repeatedly lied, one of the law enforcement officials said. Senior prosecutors met with lawyers for Mr. Strauss-Kahn on Thursday and provided details about their findings, and the parties are discussing whether to dismiss the felony charges. Among the discoveries, one of the officials said, are issues involving the asylum application of the 32-year-old housekeeper, who is Guinean, and possible links to people involved in criminal activities, including drug dealing and money laundering. Prosecutors and defense lawyers will return to State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Friday morning, when Justice Michael J. Obus is expected to consider easing the extraordinary bail conditions that he imposed on Mr. Strauss-Kahn in the days after he was charged. Indeed, Mr. Strauss-Kahn could be released on his own recognizance, and freed from house arrest, reflecting the likelihood that the serious charges against him will not be sustained. The district attorney’s office may try to require Mr. Strauss-Kahn to plead guilty to a misdemeanor, but his lawyers are likely to contest such a move. The revelations are a stunning change of fortune for Mr. Strauss-Kahn, 62, who was considered a strong contender for the French presidency before being accused of sexually assaulting the woman who went to clean his luxury suite at the Sofitel New York.A lawyer for the woman, Kenneth P. Thompson, in an email message, did not offer a direct rebuttal to the allegations. (Read more from The NY Times)
Justice Department to investigate deaths of two detainees in CIA custody The Justice Department has opened full criminal investigations of the deaths in CIA custody of two detainees, including one who perished at Iraq’s notorious Abu Ghraib prison, U.S. officials said Thursday. The decision, announced by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., means continued legal jeopardy for several CIA operatives but at the same time closes the book on inquiries that potentially threatened many others. A federal prosecutor reviewed 101 cases in which agency officers and contractors interrogated suspected terrorists during years of military action after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks but found cause to pursue criminal cases in only two. (Read more from The Washington Post)
Planned Parenthood's embarrassing response to undercover sting reveals their deceptions Responding to the undercover sting that reveals they are deceiving the public and lawmakers into believing they are vital to poor women’s health, Planned Parenthood issued an embarrassing statement that “just because there are other providers does not mean they offer the same patient-friendly hours, are accepting new Medicaid patients or offer the same services that PPIN offers.” Live Action President Lila Rose responds:
“The basis of these rationalizations is false. In a matter of minutes, Live Action easily found numerous Medicaid providers in Indiana ready and able to accept new patients; Planned Parenthood’s own lower level staffers repeatedly confirmed other providers ‘have the same services we have.’ And most laughable is their claim that ‘patient-friendly hours’ are what set Planned Parenthood apart from the other 800 Medicaid providers in the state.
“But what’s not funny is that Planned Parenthood continues to concoct more propaganda as they work to deceive the public and try to sweep this exposé under the rug. Women don’t need this abortion-centered giant for their healthcare but Planned Parenthood needs women and taxpayer dollars to continue lining their pockets. Join us in standing with Indiana to stay the course and prevent Planned Parenthood from bolstering their abortion business and radical ideology with Medicaid dollars.”
Growing Chorus to Revoke Media Matters' Tax-Exempt Status The chorus is growing for the IRS to scrutinize Media Matters' tax-exempt status as the left-leaning media watchdog group wages a "war" on Fox News. Recent questions about Media Matters' activities stem from a campaign against Fox News that founder David Brock described in an interview this year as "guerilla warfare and sabotage." By its own admission, the group is conducting "opposition research" against certain executives and producers. It also features a link on its website called "Drop Fox" which helps users contact advertisers and urge them to boycott the network. C. Boyden Gray, White House counsel during the George H.W. Bush administration, said the group's claim that Fox News is the leader of the Republican Party "is demonstrably false" and crosses the line. Gray touched off a debate over Media Matters' status when, in a Washington Times column last week, he claimed the group was running afoul of rulings that prohibit "inflammatory language" for tax-exempt organizations and was too partisan. "This is ... not what they were given status as a tax-exempt organization for," Gray told Fox News. He cited a 1989 ruling in which an organization was stripped of that status because of its ties to Republican entities. "The terminology that they're using .... is very dangerous if you're trying to keep your tax-exempt status," said Jordan Sekulow, director of policy and international operations for the American Center for Law and Justice. Gray, Sekulow, Democratic strategist and Fox News contributor Doug Schoen and Republican strategist Doug Heye all argue that Media Matters either should not be afforded tax-exempt status or at least is running afoul of that status. (Read more from Fox News)
Investigation Launched After Nigerian Man Boards U.S. Plane With Expired Boarding Pass, No Passport A Nigerian national boarded a Virgin America flight from New York to Los Angeles last week without a passport and with an expired boarding pass that did not belong to him, Fox News confirms. Mid-flight from New York to Los Angeles, a flight attendant noticed Noibi was sitting in a seat that was supposed to be vacant. Noibi showed the attendant the expired boarding pass that was in someone else's name, and then showed him a University of Michigan identification card with his picture on it. (Read more from Fox News)
Vegas Officials Consider Marketing Gay Honeymoons Same-sex couples can't get married in Nevada, but Las Vegas tourism officials are still looking for a way to cash in on the growing gay wedding industry. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is considering marketing southern Nevada as a honeymoon destination for same-sex couples. The Las Vegas Sun reported Thursday that the tourism agency's director of diversity marketing has already discussed the possibility with his staff. New York recently became the latest state to legalize same-sex marriage, joining Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire and the District of Columbia. Same-sex marriage was banned in Nevada in 2002 by a statewide vote. Las Vegas is widely recognized as a wedding destination because of the relative ease in obtaining a marriage license. (Read more from The AP)
California really shows Amazon! State imposes Internet sales tax leading Amazon to end deals with 25,000 California websites Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law California's tax on Internet sales through affiliate advertising which will immediately cut small-business website revenue 20% to 30%, experts say. The bill, AB 28X, takes effect immediately. The state Board of Equalization says the tax will raise $200 million a year, but critics claim it will raise nothing because online retailers will end their affiliate programs rather than collect the tax. Amazon has already emailed its termination of its affiliate advertising program with 25,000 websites. The letter says, in part:
(The bill) specifically imposes the collection of taxes from consumers on sales by online retailers - including but not limited to those referred by California-based marketing affiliates like you - even if those retailers have no physical presence in the state.
We oppose this bill because it is unconstitutional and counterproductive. It is supported by big-box retailers, most of which are based outside California, that seek to harm the affiliate advertising programs of their competitors. Similar legislation in other states has led to job and income losses, and little, if any, new tax revenue. We deeply regret that we must take this action.
The new law won't affect customers, Amazon said. Almost all the California Amazon affiliates have fewer than 75 employees and a large percentage have no employees, according to Rebecca Madigan, executive director of the Performance Marketing Association, a Camarillo-based nationwide trade association. (Read more from The Orange County Register)
GALLUP: Religion and Party ID Strongly Linked Among Whites, Not Blacks Very religious white Americans are more than twice as likely to identify with or lean toward the Republican Party, while nonreligious whites are significantly more likely to identify with the Democratic Party. This relationship between religion and partisanship is also evident to a lesser degree among Asians and Hispanics, but does not occur among blacks, who are strongly likely to identify themselves as Democrats regardless of how religious they are.
FEC allows Stephen Colbert to form ‘super PAC’ for 2012 elections Stephen Colbert learned an important lesson Thursday at the Federal Election Commission: Even a gifted comedian can’t make campaign-finance law funny. In a meeting devoid of anything beyond a gentle chuckle, the FEC decided that Colbert could go ahead with his plans to form a self-titled “super PAC” that could raise and spend unlimited money on the 2012 elections. But the panel also concluded that the television host’s employer, Viacom Corp., would have to report any help it gives to Colbert for political activities outside the “Colbert Report” show. The FEC’s 5-1 decision came as something of a relief to campaign-finance reformers, who feared the panel might go further by allowing Viacom — and thus any other media company — to spend unlimited resources in elections without having to disclose the spending. (Read more from The Washington Post)
Indefinite Recess in Anthony trial The judge in the Casey Anthony murder trial called a recess Friday just as prosecutors prepared to rebut testimony by Anthony's mother who claimed she -- not her daughter -- made suspicious Internet searches in the months before her 2-year-old granddaughter disappeared. The prosecution had planned to use its rebuttal case Friday to attack Cindy Anthony's testimony that searches made on the family's home computer for "chloroform" were made by her. Orlando mother Casey Anthony stands accused of first-degree murder in the 2008 death of her toddler daughter, Caylee. But Judge Belvin Perry called a recess "indefinitely" on Friday to give defense attorneys time to question state rebuttal witnesses. Perry, however, called on attorneys from both sides to act quickly in working out procedural issues, saying jurors being sequestered are "ready to return to their homes."
"Remember you have jurors back there and they are being sequestered," Perry said. "I hope this is a real problem and not imaginary."Casey Anthony is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, in the summer of 2008. Evidence of chloroform was found in the trunk of the 25-year-old's car. Only the state's rebuttal case and closing arguments remain in the trial. (Read more from Fox News)
