By Robert Barnes Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 22, 2010; 10:02 AM
The Supreme Court returns from its midterm break Monday morning, one controversial decision behind it and the potential for more ahead.
The justices already might have defined this term with their January ruling that declared unconstitutional decades-old restrictions on the way corporations and unions may spend their money in the electoral process. In Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the court ruled 5 to 4 that keeping corporations from using their profits to support or oppose candidates violated the First Amendment.
The decision is controversial enough that Democrats in Congress already are preparing legislation that would blunt the effects of the change. Polls show that Americans overwhelmingly disagree with the decision, and President Obama denounced it and called for a legislative response in his State of the Union Address.
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Updated: Feb 22, 2010 11:14 AM CST
Appleton, WI – Authorities believe the same suspect phoned in bomb threats this weekend regarding the Outagamie County Regional Airport and an Appleton Taco Bell. The FBI is now assisting in the investigation.
Police say the Taco Bell threat came in Just before nine Saturday night to the restaurant located in the 2800 block of West College Avenue. The building was evacuated. A search turned up nothing suspicious.
Officers say suspect called in the treat using the European internet-based voice and data service known as Skype.
Investigators believe the same suspect called an Appleton restaurant Sunday morning saying he was at the airport and was going to leave a bomb there.
Airport authorities immediately ordered an evacuation.
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By Peter Slevin Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 22, 2010
KNOX, IND. — State Rep. Nancy Dembowski (D) thought her colleagues were kidding a week ago when they told her that U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) had decided not to seek a third term. She understood his complaint about partisan paralysis in Congress, but she wondered how he could simply quit in the middle of the fight.
Bayh’s abrupt departure brought fresh worries for Indiana Democrats, a species with a perilous hold on office in the best of times. As Dembowski filed for reelection at the courthouse here, an American flag before her and supporters arrayed behind, she predicted that his absence will hurt the party in November.
“It will impact us,” Dembowski said. “He was the leader.”
One week after Bayh’s startling decision, Democratic leaders are racing to select a prospective successor, with Rep. Brad Ellsworth, a former sheriff from southern Indiana, emerging as a leading candidate against a Republican field that includes former senator Dan Coats. The high-profile announcement has also prompted a discussion about the problems facing voters in the state — and the maddening effects of the divisive political climate in Washington.
Tags: Reality Check·Taking Back America·Voice of the People
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Here is a breakdown of the reforms and how they might affect your wallet:
– They prohibit universal default
Consumers had long complained about credit card companies raising the interest rates on one card for being late or missing a payment on a separate account, even if they had remained current on the first card. The practice was known as universal default, and card companies said missing payments on other accounts increased the risk of lending to a customer, which in turn meant higher interest rates. The new law not only bans universal default but also prohibits card companies from raising interest rates on outstanding balances, as long as you pay the bill on time. But beware: Issuers can still change the rate on new charges as long as they give you proper notice.
Tags: credit
By Joby Warrick Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, February 20, 2010
The Justice Department officially ended its eight-year investigation of the 2001 anthrax attacks Friday with the release of hundreds of pages of documents that starkly portray the mental unraveling of the deceased Army scientist accused of committing the worst act of bioterrorism in U.S. history.
The records offer substantial support for the FBI’s contention that biologist Bruce E. Ivins single-handedly prepared and mailed deadly anthrax spores that killed five people and terrorized a nation still reeling from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.
Drawing from the suspect’s e-mails and recorded conversations, the FBI documents show an increasingly agitated Ivins seeking to implicate colleagues while misleading investigators about his ability to make the deadly powder used in the attacks.
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By ANNE GEARAN – The Associated Press
Saturday, February 20, 2010; 11:32 AM
WASHINGTON — Former Secretary of State Alexander Haig, a four-star general who served as a top adviser to three presidents and had presidential ambitions of his own, died Saturday of complications from an infection, his family said. He was 85.
Haig’s long and decorated military career launched the Washington career for which he is better known, including top posts in the Nixon, Ford and Reagan administrations. He never lived down his televised response to the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.
Hours after the shooting, then Secretary of State Haig went before the cameras intending, he said later, to reassure Americans that the White House was functioning.
“As of now, I am in control here in the White House, pending the return of the vice president,” Haig said.
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