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Some Business and Consulting Press Releases We're Reading Now (Note: These are public feeds and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, recommendations, etc. of the Big Innovations team)
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House ethics panel charges Rangel on 13 counts
Jul 29, 06:50 PM
WASHINGTON _ A special House of Representatives subcommittee on Thursday outlined 13 counts of ethics violations against Rep. Charles Rangel, the former chairman of the powerful tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. The charges place his political career in jeopardy and could put Democrats on the defensive as November's elections approach.
The case against the 80-year-old, 20-term Democrat from New York unfolded in a trial-like setting of a House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct subcommittee following incorrect reports that Rangel's lawyers had struck a deal to avoid an embarrassing public reading of the charges against him.
"Mr. Rangel ... was given opportunities to negotiate a settlement under the investigation phase," said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, a member of the eight-person subcommittee. "We are now in the trial phase."
In a large hearing room in the bowels of the Capitol Visitors Center, the subcommittee detailed the 13 charges that stem from four matters: that he solicited donations for the Rangel Center for Public Service at the City College of New York, seeking money from foundations and corporations that had interests before the House; that he made "errors and omissions" in failing to disclose $600,000 on his financial disclosure statements; that he used a rent-controlled apartment to house his campaign committees; and that he failed to report and pay taxes on rental income on a beach villa he owns in the Dominican Republic.
Rangel's legal team, in a written response, denied any wrongdoing in connection with the Rangel Center, and pointed out that former and current lawmakers such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have centers named after them and lent their names to raise "millions of dollars from corporate donors" for the facilities.
Rangel's team said the use of the rent-controlled apartment wasn't a favor to Rangel by the owner. Instead, the statement said, Rangel was doing the owner a favor by paying maximum rent and helping lower the building's vacancy rate.
The statement challenged the financial allegations but conceded that "In retrospect, Congressman Rangel did not devote sufficient attention to the preparation of his original financial disclosures."
Rangel wasn't present at the half-hour session.
In documents, the subcommittee made it known that Rangel has been less than cooperative, often delaying in producing documents requested by investigators.
"Even when the delay was not significant, (Rangel's) failure to abide by the deadlines set by the investigative subcommittee was troubling," the subcommittee wrote.
Still, Democratic and Republican subcommittee members said they took no joy in prosecuting the affable, backslapping Harlem clubhouse politician almost everyone affectionately calls "Charlie."
"He earned the Purple Heart and Bronze Star (in the Korean War) for his bravery. He was a fatherless high school dropout who went from pushing a hand truck in the Garden District of New York City to becoming one of the most powerful _ and well-liked _ figures on Capitol Hill," said Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Ala., the ranking Republican on the subcommittee. "But Mr. Rangel's life story is not why we are here today ...''
The subcommittee's statement of alleged violations said Rangel improperly sent letters on congressional letterhead to over 100 foundations, including the Verizon Foundation, the Goldman Sachs Foundation, New York Life Foundation and others requesting gifts of $30 million _ or $6 million a year over five years _ for the Rangel Center.
"Respondent's (Rangel's) staff worked with CCNY on an ongoing basis, assisting with earmarks and meetings between the Respondent's and potential donors," according to the committee's findings. "The work was done on House property, using official resources such as staff time, official House phones and e-mail accounts, and other office equipment and supplies."
On financial disclosures, the subcommittee said that Rangel failed to report rental income from 1998 to 2000 and again in 2004 from a Harlem brownstone that he owned.
He also didn't report income from property he owns at the Punta Cana Yacht Club in the Dominican Republic from 1998 to 2000 and for 2006 and 2007, according to the subcommittee. Rangel also failed to disclose that in 1993, the management of the Punta Cana Yacht Club forgave the remaining interest on the mortgage of his villa.
Ironically, in a letter to the yacht club in 1993 seeking information about his unit, Rangel wrote: "As I mentioned to you, the House Ethics Committee requires the disclosures by members of Congress of any assets and unearned income and while I enjoy a good relationship with the Committee's Chairman it certainly would be politically embarrassing if I were unable to provide an accurate accounting of my holdings."
Republican efforts to portray Rangel's ethics situation as the personification of what's wrong with Washington forced Rangel to relinquish the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee in March.
GOP officials have continued to use Rangel to hammer away at Democrats by reminding voters of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's promise to "drain the swamp" of Washington political corruption.
Regarding Rangel, Pelosi, D-Calif., said at her weekly news conference: "The chips will have to fall where they may politically."
However, she defended her "swamp" comment, saying that the House was a far worse place ethics-wise under Republican rule than it is now.
"We have made a tremendous difference, and I take great pride in that," Pelosi said. "Are there going to be individual issues to be dealt with? Yes. I never said that there wouldn't be."
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Obama 'needs a little lesson' on race, says agriculture official at center of video controversy
Jul 29, 06:46 PM
By Gromer Jeffers Jr., The Dallas Morning News
July 29--SAN DIEGO -- Shirley Sherrod, the black federal official who was forced to resign last week after a conservative website posted a selectively edited video of her, said today that President Barack Obama "needs a little lesson" in race relations in America.
Speaking to the National Association of Black Journalists, Sherrod also said she planned to sue the blogger who posted the misleading video.
And she said that her boss in Washington, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, might not have treated her so poorly if his executive staff were more diverse.
"Maybe if the secretary would have had some African-Americans around him," Sherrod said, "they would have gotten him to see" that he was wrong to demand her resignation without even hearing her version of events.
Sherrod, who was the U.S. Department of Agriculture's director of rural development in Georgia, was asked by a journalist at the NABJ meeting if she thought Obama, the country's first black president, has a blind spot on civil rights issues.
"I think he does," she replied, adding, "That's why I invited him to southwest Georgia. I need to have him down there, so I can take him around and show him that history."
Blacks and whites in her home region "don't get along the way we should, but we don't get along as bad as we used to, and there is some reason to hope we can make it even better," she said.
"He should come down and see that and hear that first-hand. He needs a little lesson."
Sherrod, the USDA's director of rural development in Georgia, was forced by Vilsack to quit after it was reported that the video showed her saying she was less likely, in her official capacity, to help a white farmer because of his race.
However, in the full speech from which the edited video was taken, she talked of the need for racial reconciliation and the lessons she learned from her initial reluctance to help the white farmer as aggressively as she might a black farmer.
When her full remarks were made known, Vilsack apologized and offered her a new job at USDA, an offer she is still considering.
Obama, too, called to apologize.
The president, speaking today to the National Urban League in Washington, said Sherrod "deserves better than what happened last week."
And in a taped appearance on ABC-TV's The View, he said the affair showed that racial tensions persist in America.
"There are still inequalities out there. There's still discrimination out there. But we've made progress."
While blaming the media for stirring up a "phony" controversy, the president added: "A lot of people overreacted, including people in my administration."
Sherrod faulted the administration for caving in to right-wing commentators and their audiences. "They are allowing them [conservatives] to help them decide how to govern," she said.
She said NABJ had invited Andrew Breitbart, the conservative blogger who published the edited video, to its meeting and that she was sorry he hadn't attended.
"I wish he had come here. I really would like to talk to him," she said.
She added, however, that she intends to sue Breitbart.
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To see more of The Dallas Morning News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dallasnews.com.
Copyright (c) 2010, The Dallas Morning News
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Company in Mich. oil spill got warning
Jul 29, 06:28 PM
The Canadian owner of a pipeline that sprang a major leak this week in Michigan was warned earlier this year about problems, officials say.
Almost a million gallons of oil had spilled into the Kalamazoo River by Wednesday, two days after the leak was reported. The leak is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration warned Enbridge Energy Partners in January that it needed to upgrade its plans to ensure safety while switching from one monitoring system to another, the Detroit Free Press reported. The agency also notified the company of possible problems with aging pipe.
An Enbridge spokesman said he could not comment on the company's response to the specific reports. Joe Martucci said Enbridge has an "ongoing integrity management system."
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BRIEF: Phillies get Oswalt
Jul 29, 05:42 PM
By Mandy Housenick, The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa.
July 29--PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel confirmed at 3:45 p.m. Thursday that the team has acquired righthanded starting pitcher Roy Oswalt from Houston and that Oswalt could possibly start Friday night's game for the Phillies.
In exchange, the Phillies surrendered lefthanded pitcher J.A. Happ and two minor league players: outfielder Anthony Gose and shortstop Jonathan Villar. Both were playing Single-A ball.
"I knew we were making this deal about 15 minutes ago. That gives us three top-of-the rotation guys," Manuel said at 3:45 p.m., referencing pitchers Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels, in addition to Oswalt. Oswalt, a two-time 20-game winner with Houston, was 6-12 with the Astros this season with a 3.42 ERA.
"I was very interested in the deal because of who it was," Manuel said. "I like everything about it. We got better."
The two-time NL champion Phillies went into Thursday with a seven-game winning streak. They began the day 3 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the NL East.
The Phillies play Arizona at 7:05 Thursday night at Citizens Bank Park before beginning a road trip Friday that starts with a 7:05 p.m. game at Washington. That is the game that Oswalt, who is 32, could start for the Phillies.
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Copyright (c) 2010, The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa.
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EDITORIAL: 'Law of hate': In blocking SB 1070 provisions, judge notes curtailment of rights
Jul 29, 05:36 PM
By The Brownsville Herald, Texas
July 29--In Mexico they call it "la ley del odio" -- the law of hate. Indeed, President Felipe Calderon had publicly condemned the act and Mexican border governors had said they would boycott a planned conference before it was moved from Arizona to New Mexico.
To many people, Arizona's anti-immigration law that goes into effect today is codified hatred against specific groups based on nationality, ethnicity or appearance. They note that many of the stated methods of determining if a person's nationality should be checked -- literacy, accents, and yes, even appearance -- will cause many native-born U.S. citizens to endure questioning, and even arrest if they don't have proof of their citizenship.
Seven court challenges -- one by the federal government -- have been filed against Senate Bill 1070, which requires local law enforcement agencies in Arizona to enforce federal immigration law or face civil lawsuits. U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton on Wednesday stopped some provisions from taking effect, but noted that because SB 1070 is not a freestanding law but a set of additions and amendments to several other laws, she could not issue a blanket injunction.
Her order stops the prohibition of undocumented workers from seeking work in public places, and blocks the requirement that officers automatically check immigration status when enforcing other laws. It also blocks authorization of warrantless arrests of suspected undocumented immigrants and the requirement that all immigrants carry proof of legal residency at all times.
These are some of the more problematic parts of the law, although there are others, such as the provision that allows Arizona residents to sue enforcement agencies if they don't think enough immigrants are being rounded up (two of the lawsuits are from police). Bolton notes that the way the bill is written, police will be required to check immigration status for all contacts, "including jaywalking, failing to have a dog on a leash, or riding a bicycle on the sidewalk."
The judge correctly noted that while the law ostensibly targets illegal immigration, its enforcement goes beyond its stated provisions, since it "burdens lawfully-present aliens because their liberty will be restricted while their status is checked."
Mandatory evaluation of every arrested person's immigration status, she noted, would have the effect of "increasing the intrusion of police presence into the lives of legally-present aliens (and even United States citizens), who will necessarily be swept up by this requirement."
The judge accepts federal arguments that by imposing state penalties that aren't imposed elsewhere, the bill leads to an unequal application of federal law, and that an expected increase in requests to verify immigration status will divert resources from other federal offices, which indirectly affects all taxpayers.
Importantly, she also notes that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that intrusive police actions against legal immigrants can affect international relations and generate disloyalty against the United States.
In creating laws that can't be enforced without reducing the freedoms and rights of people who have not violated any law, Arizona has done more than promote opposition to illegal residency in this country; it has shown little regard for the rights of people who are here legally, and fomented ill will toward this nation, both from other countries and from within. In recognizing these facts, Judge Bolton raises hopes that while not throwing out SB 1070 in its entirety, she will preserve the basic rights upon which our country was founded -- rights that our Founders asserted were innate, and not affected by nationality.
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To see more of The Brownsville Herald, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.brownsvilleherald.com.
Copyright (c) 2010, The Brownsville Herald, Texas
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House panel charges Rangel with 13 counts
Jul 29, 05:34 PM
A House ethics subcommittee charged U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., Thursday with 13 counts of violating House rules and U.S. laws.
An investigative subcommittee of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct submitted the allegations in a 40-page report, including charges that Rangel's conduct discredited the chamber, Roll Call reported.
Rangel is accused of soliciting donations to the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at City College of New York from businesses appearing before the House Ways and Means Committee when he was its chairman.
An adjudicatory panel composed of four Democrats and four Republicans will evaluate the charges. If they find Rangel violated House rules, the case will be sent to the full ethics committee for a vote on his punishment.
"The public office is a public trust. Our task is to determine whether Representative Rangel's conduct met that standard," said ethics Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., who also leads the adjudicatory panel.
Panel member Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said Rangel will have "violated multiple provisions of House rules and federal statutes" if the charges are true.
Rangel's attorney, Leslie Kiernan, disputed the charges in a statement, saying the case is "deeply flawed in its factual premises and legal theories, not only with regard to (City College of New York), but also as to the other claims. The undisputed evidence in the record -- assembled by the Investigative Subcommittee over its nearly two-year investigation -- is that Congressman Rangel did not dispense any political favors, that he did not intentionally violate any law, rule or regulation, and that he did not misuse his public office for private gain."
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Protesters greet Ariz. immigration law
Jul 29, 04:37 PM
Hundreds of people protested the new Arizona immigration law as parts of it took effect Thursday, including some who blocked the entrance to a Phoenix jail.
About a dozen arrests were made, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Vanessa Bustos and five other activists chained themselves together at the jail entrance.
"It's not over yet," Bustos told the Times. "There are other bills being enacted against the Latino community."
Demonstrators also blocked a street near Phoenix City Hall, The Arizona Republic reported.
On the other side of the ideological divide, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio ordered a sweep of immigrant neighborhoods in the Phoenix area. He said a federal judge's ruling Wednesday blocking enforcement of many of the state law's provisions does not affect his ability to seek out and arrest those in the country illegally.
The injunction, issued Wednesday, temporarily bars police from questioning people's immigration status. The judge's order also blocks a provision that criminalize failure to apply for or carry alien registration papers and another that makes it illegal "for an unauthorized alien to solicit, apply for or perform work."
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said the state would file an expedited appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, signaling a legal battle some said would wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court, CNN reported.
The parts of the law now in effect include a ban on so-called sanctuary cities, the criminalization of hiring day laborers in the country illegally and the sanctioning of employers hiring illegal immigrants.
Brewer called the judge's ruling "a little bump in the road" that can be appealed.
"The fact of the matter is this is just an injunction," Brewer added. "I'm sure as we go through the process, we'll get a fair hearing."
The state's two Republican U.S. senators said the Obama administration is wasting tax money in the legal battle instead of supporting the state's effort to curb illegal immigration," the Republic in Phoenix reported.
The U.S. Justice Department in a statement said "a patchwork of state and local policies would seriously disrupt federal immigration enforcement and would ultimately be counterproductive."
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Nationals decide to put Strasburg on DL
Jul 29, 04:15 PM
Washington, DC (Sports Network) - The Washington Nationals have decided to put rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his right shoulder.
Strasburg is expected to rest for the next 3-to-4 days and have the shoulder re-evaluated. However, the Washington Post reported that manager Jim Riggleman said Strasburg would be shut down for 10 days, citing a radio interview given Thursday morning.
The 22-year-old was scratched from his scheduled outing on Tuesday night versus Atlanta after having trouble getting loose in the bullpen. He will miss at least his next start, which was scheduled for Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies. The move is retroactive to July 22.
Strasburg was off to an electric start for the Nationals, posting a 2.32 earned run average and 5-2 record. In 54 1/3 innings, he has 75 strikeouts compared with only 15 walks. He has pitched 109 2/3 innings overall this season after having thrown 109 total innings for San Diego State all of 2009.
"I was feeling tight a little bit, wanted to get out there and see if it would loosen up," Strasburg said Wednesday about missing his start. "It's just one of those days where it was tighter than normal. I'm just at a point right now in the season now where I'm going into uncharted territory. I have to be smart right now and look at the big picture."
Strasburg also said his condition has improved since Tuesday.
"I feel a lot better. My range of motion, after going through some stretching and everything is starting to come back to me," Strasburg said. "I made some big strides today. I'm not going jump the gun, just going to take it day-by- day."
Washington's starter for Thursday against the Braves, Scott Olsen, was reinstated from the 15-day DL in a corresponding move. He had been suffering from left shoulder tightness and entered the contest with a 2-2 record and 3.77 ERA in eight starts with the Nationals this season.
07/29 16:08:59 ET
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Oswalt traded to Phillies
Jul 29, 04:15 PM
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Phillies completed their trade for Roy Oswalt on Thursday, acquiring the pitcher from the Houston Astros.
The Phillies also received cash considerations, and sent pitcher J.A. Happ and two prospects -- outfielder Anthony Gose and infielder Jonathan Villar -- to Houston.
Oswalt will make his first Phillies start Friday in Washington.
Oswalt is owed approximately $5 million for the remainder of this season. He's due to make $16 million next season and there is a club option of $16 million in 2012 or a $2 million buyout.
The 32-year-old Oswalt, who has only pitched for Houston over his 10-year career, is 6-12 with a 3.42 ERA this season. He's lost his last two starts, but has received little run support from his team. In fact, the Astros have scored two runs or less each of the last six times he's pitched.
With 143 wins, Oswalt is one victory shy of matching Joe Niekro as the all- time leader in Astros franchise history.
The addition of Oswalt gives the surging Phillies a powerful 1-2-3 punch in the rotation, led by Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels. Additionally, the Phillies acquired a frontline starter for the second straight season, having traded for Cliff Lee last year.
Lee helped the Phillies reach the World Series for a second consecutive year in 2009, and Philadelphia is hoping Oswalt will help the club in its push to get back there this year.
The Phillies have won a season-best seven games in a row and were 3 1/2 games behind first-place Atlanta in the NL East standings following Wednesday's games. The Astros are well out of the playoff race at 42-59, and now lose the face of their rotation.
In return, Houston gets a young left-hander in Happ. The 27-year-old broke out in 2009, when he went 12-4 with a 2.93 earned run average in 35 games (23 starts). He had three complete games, two shutouts and finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.
Happ has made only three starts this season, as he went on the disabled list in April with a left forearm strain. On Sunday, Happ made his first start since returning from the DL, and is 1-0 with a 1.76 ERA this year.
07/29 16:09:18 ET
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Army acknowledges criminal probe, more problems at Arlington National Cemetery
Jul 29, 02:38 PM
By Bill Lambrecht, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
July 29--WASHINGTON -- Army officials today acknowledged finding more problems with graves at Arlington National Cemetery and said that a criminal investigation had begun into contracts for a failed computer system for grave-tracking.
In a contentious hearing, angry senators lectured Army officials and ex-directors of Arlington National Cemetery amid a growing scandal that the Army says may have criminal implicatios.
At a Senate Homeland Security subcommittee on contract oversights, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who chairs the panel, called recent revelations "shocking "and told Army officials that they will be held accountable.
"Bodies accidentially buried in the same graves. Unmarked and mismarked graves. Urns of cremated remains being found in the cemetery's landfill. And the heartbreaking tragedy of the families who now can not trust the cemetery to tell them where their loved ones are buried," she said.
Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., said that the failures "have tarnished the sacred trust with military families that we have ... and eroded the confidence of the families of our fallen heroes have that the remains of their loved ones will be respected."
The former cemetery director and his assistant showed up at the hearing after being subpoenaed by the subcommittee. Both were forced to retired this month.
John Metzler, the former director, said that the episode has been painful.
"I want to express my sincere regrets to any family for whom these failures may have caused pain," he said.
His assistant, Thurman Higginbotham, invoke his 5th Amendment right not to testify.
Before he was dismissed, Higginbotham disputed Army reports that a poor working relationship with Metzler contributed to the problems.
"We were like a corporation; he had 51 percent, I had 49 ... It was more the staff perception that we didn't get along," he said.
The subcommittee is examining whether contracting failures contributed to the problem. Senators said that as much as $10 million was spent for a grave-tracking system that still doesn't work.
The Army inspector general disclosed last month that more than 200 graves were mismarked. But McCaskill said in her opening statement that the problems could be much more extensive and that between 4,900 and 6,600 graves may be unmarked, improperly marked or mislabeled on cemetery maps.
During questioning by senators, Kathryn Condon, the recently installed director of the Army cemeteries program, said that more "discrepancies" have been found since the inspector general report.
The inspector general had discovered more than 200 mismarked graves or other inaccuracies in surveying just three of the 70 burial sections at Arlington.
"I'm confident that there are probably other map errors," she said, referring to the locations of where people are buried.
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To see more of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.stltoday.com.
Copyright (c) 2010, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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So how do we do it? 
