Matthew DeLong
Blago’s Got Tickets for the Big Day, Do You?
Are you bummed because you want to attend President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration, but you can’t score tickets? Well, this should make you feel worse. Apparently, disgraced Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whom you may remember was arrested last month for allegedly scheming to “sell” Obama’s vacated Senate seat, has a pair of the coveted passes.
From The [...]
Obama Announces New Government Efficiency Post
President-elect Barack Obama today announced the creation of a new position to work in conjunction with the Office of Management and Budget to increase the “efficiency, transparency and accountability” of federal agencies.
During a news conference at the Obama-Biden transition office in Washington, Obama named Nancy Killefer, a former Treasury official in the Clinton administration, to [...]
Richardson Stands Behind Former Aide in Federal Probe
This just in: Gilbert Gallegos, a spokesman for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), gave the following statement to TWI’s sister site, The New Mexico Independent, expressing the governor’s support for his former chief of staff, Dave Contarino.
Report: Obama to Tap CNN Doc Gupta for Surgeon General
President-elect Barack Obama has offered the post of surgeon general to neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta, who is better known for his work as a CNN correspondent, The Washington Post reports.
Another Day, Another Democratic Governor’s Pay-to-Play Scandal
Anyone who thinks that the only thing better than one Democratic governor embroiled in a pay-to-play scandal is two Democratic governors embroiled in pay-to-play scandals received a big treat Sunday when another federal investigation that had been flying under the national radar suddenly came to light.
The twist? This scandal involves New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, [...]
Reports: Kennedy, Bennet Top Picks for Vacant Senate Seats
The successors to the two remaining Senate seats that opened up when President-elect Barack Obama tapped their current occupants for cabinet positions — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s seat in New York and that of Sen. Ken Salazar in Colorado — could be named shortly, according to news reports.
‘Flying While Muslim,’ the New ‘Driving While Black’
The Washington Post reports that a large group of Muslim travelers were removed from a flight Thursday at a Washington-area airport after one of them made a comment about airline safety.
Officials ordered nine Muslim passengers, including three young children, off an AirTran flight headed to Orlando from Reagan National Airport yesterday afternoon after two other [...]
Burris Pushed for Death Penalty for Innocent Man
Pro Publica’s Ben Protess does some digging into the past of former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris, who was chosen to fill President-elect Barack Obama’s vacated Senate seat by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Blagojevich was arrested last month for scheming to sell the seat. It seems there is at least one very legitimate reason to [...]
Israeli Air Strikes Continue in Gaza
The Israeli air attacks on targets in Gaza are continuing for a sixth day after the Israeli government rejected a proposed ceasefire Wednesday, but pledged to expedite humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
From The Washington Post:
A top Hamas leader was killed Thursday in an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip, as violence entered its [...]
Big Day in Iraq
The United States has officially handed over control of the “Green Zone” back to the Iraqis. From The Washington Post:
When the clock struck midnight on Wednesday, the U.S. returned the palace to the Iraqi government and relinquished formal control over the Green Zone, a heavily fortified six-square-mile enclave on the Tigris River where key U.S. [...]
