Races tighten as election nears

Campaigns have committed an all out blitz as the election comes to a close. Candidates are now using personal attacks to gain a political advantage. The air waves are expected to be he hit with a number of attack ads.

FL Congressman resigns over emails

Florida Congressman Mark Foley (R) resigned today amid allegations about sexually explicit emails to a former male congressional page. This comes as republicans battle to retain the majority in congress in the November election. The Florida Republican Party is scrambling to find a replacement candidate as lawyers try to find a way to get another candidate on the ballot.

RNC picks Twin Cities for 2008

The Republican National Commitee approved the Twin Cities to host its national convention. MN is also a swing state that borders on other swing states like Iowa and Wisconsin.

Rep. Bob Ney pleads guilty

Congressman Bob Ney (R-OH) pleaded guilty to charges related to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. Ney initially denied any wrongdoing and was asked to step down from his leadership position as the Chair of the House Administration Committee. Ney has decided not to seek re-election. His republican challenger has asked to him to resign so that he can replace him for the general election.

Endorsed candidates win primaries with ease

US Senate candidate Mark Kennedy (R), US Senate candidate Amy Klobuchar (DFL) Governor Tim Pawlenty(R) Attorney General Mike Hatch(DFL) all easily won their parties primaries. The major party candidates are expected to slug it on the air waves as well as in the debates as the '06 election is expected to come to a fiery end. Control of the State House is at stake as well as control of Congress could well be decided on election. Republicans hope to keep majority while the democrats hope to take over as the new majority party.

White House buts heads with Congress over detainee bill

After the Supreme Court ruled the presidents military tribunals unconstitutional the White House has been urging congress to pass its version of the detainee bills. However its been tough sledding as the president faces opposition in his own party on Capitol Hill. A Senate committee this week passed a detaine bill which the White House opposes. The Senate version does not have as strict a policy on interrogations. President Bush held a press conference to press congress on passing his version of the detainee bill. He said that the CIA officers involved in interrogations must be able to use agressive tactics and should not be burdened with potential civil liability and criminal prosecution. There has been some debate over how to interpret Article 3 of the Geneva Convention which the Supreme Court cited in its Hamden vs. Rumsfeld decision. Some on Capitol Hill have argued that we should have our own interpretation of the article because it is too vague as its currently written and other countries interpret it based on their own laws.

Judge blocks strike until negotiations are exhausted

A federal appeals judge blocked the Northwest Flight attendants from striking against Northwest Airlines because there is too much economically at stake beyond the parties involved. The judge did not rule out allowing a strike if he believes that the parties cannot come to terms in the future.

US State Dept. issues limited visa to former head of Iran; current leader to address UN

Despite protest the State Department granted a visa to the former head of Iran. Opponents say Khatami should not be granted a visa because he resided over a regime that wanted the destruction of Israel and was a sworn of the United States. MA governor Mitt Romney who is a republican candidate for president blasted the decision to grant the visa and said that he should not be given protection by while visiting the United States.
The current Iranian leader has been granted a visa to visit the United States to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The Secret Service will be protecting him but his travel will be limited. The Secret Service provides security for foreign heads of state and dignitaries while in the United States. The United Nations is considered international territory even though its essentially in New York.

DOJ to propose law to prevent some convictions from being overturned

The Justice Department has proposed a law to congress that would prevent people like Ken Lay from having their convictions overturned. Lay's lawyers have filed motions to have their clients convictioned vacated by the judge because he is no longer alive. The judge has yet to certify the conviction. The Supreme Court has recently ruled that judges do not have the authority to overturn a jury verdict.

Mexican President Fox forgoes last speech to Mexican Congress

Mexican President Fox was forced due to security concerns to forgoe his annual speech to the Mexican congress following a protest outside of the chambers. Fox is the first Mexican president to forgoe his speech. Fox did give his speech on television. Leftist organizations continue to protest the outcome of the presidential election in which the winning candidate won by less than 1%. Protesters want a recount of all ballots. Mexico's Federal Election Tribunal has final authority on the outcome of the election.

FBI investigates AK State Lawmakers in probe of VECO

The FBI investigated the offices of Alaska state lawmakers as part of an investigation of VECO an oil field services company based in Alaska. VECO has made numerous contributions to political campaigns. The FBI stated that the lawmakers are not the target of the investigation.

U of M bans alcohol on campus dorms

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus has now prohibited alcohol in Twin Cities dorms in an attempt to curb binge drinking. This policy will also apply to students who are over the legal age. University officials admit it wont stop binge drinking but will alleviate some of the behavior that pervades college campuses. Most upper classman live off campus so this will not effect them for the most part.