07.30.10 -- 12:06PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)

What's He Accused Of?

You know that yesterday the House Ethics Committee charged Charlie Rangel with 13 ethics violations and now he's scheduled to stand trial in the House.

So just what is he charged with? Our Rachel Slajda brings you the details.

--Josh Marshall

07.30.10 -- 11:38AM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)

We Interrupt The Serious News ...

... to bring you this brief interruption of fluff: Pics of the Hudson River Valley venue for Chelsea Clinton's wedding this weekend.

We now return to regular programming.

--David Kurtz

07.30.10 -- 11:15AM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (29)

Not a Shining Moment

The ADL -- which, let's remember, is the Anti-Defamation League -- comes out against the so-called Ground Zero Mosque.

The argument, which you can see in the link above, is painful and tortured. We believe in freedom of religion. They have every right to build there. But just this one time, let's make an exception.

Sad.

--Josh Marshall

07.30.10 -- 9:44AM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (17)

Force of Habit?

Senate Republicans are now filibustering a jobs bill based mainly on tax cuts.

--Josh Marshall

07.30.10 -- 9:40AM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (5)

Reid v. Angle

Mason-Dixon has a new poll out this morning which shows Harry Reid one point over Sharron Angle, though that shows her possibly recovering a bit from a few weeks ago. Here's the TPM Poll Average of this race below. As you can see, Reid's finally crossed over into the lead. But it's basically still a margin of error race.

--Josh Marshall

07.30.10 -- 9:29AM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (107)

My Kind of Democrat

I don't know Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY). We've never met or had any one-on-one dealings. For all I know, he may be unbearable in person. But his feisty public persona -- his no-holds barred, pugilistic, in-your-face approach to politics -- is a glimpse of what a muscular progressive attitude and approach to politics would look like. His indignation doesn't lead him to smug hand-wringing. When he's outraged by something, he actually gets outraged. When his opponents are being idiots, he doesn't aloofly dismiss them; he reacts as if they are idiots.

Take a minute to watch Weiner erupt last night on the House floor. It's pretty classic stuff.

Read more »

--David Kurtz

07.30.10 -- 8:55AM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (3)

Limbo-Economics: How Low Did It Go?

Revised government numbers out this morning show GDP growth was zero for 2008 and -2.6 percent for 2009, the worst drop since 1946.

--David Kurtz

07.29.10 -- 10:38PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (14)

Big News for Tomorrow

SEC charges the Wyly Brothers, longtime major GOP fundraisers, with insider trading.

--Josh Marshall

07.29.10 -- 9:02PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (16)

"Grimm Jewish Money Q2"

This should go over well.

A campaign aide to first term Dem Mike McMahon (D-NY) of Staten Island wanted to show that a lot of Republican challenger Mike Grimm's money came from outside the district.

Putting together a list of the "Jewish Money" Grimm raised in Q2 probably wasn't the best approach. And if that wasn't enough, she sent the list to the New York Observer. How could anything bad come of that?

McMahon has relieved the aide, Jennifer Nelson, of her duties.

--Josh Marshall

07.29.10 -- 3:24PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (49)

Voices of Hate

Diane Serafin, the leading of the protest against the building of a new mosque in Temecula, CA.:

"They hate Jews, they hate Chrisitans, they hate women, they hate dogs. [The idea of the new mosque] scares the daylights out of me. I want you to stress this -- I'm not prejudiced. I worked retail for nine years and I didn't even know my manager was gay until someone told me. And when I found out, I didn't care."

--Josh Marshall

07.29.10 -- 2:36PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (19)

Window Past?

Okay, you've seen as we have reported that the House Ethics Committee has released a list of 13 charges against former Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-NY). The key question that still seems murky -- and which we have reporters now actively trying to nail down -- is how much this development closes the door on any opportunity for Rangel to plead out. In other words, it was understood that up until the Committee went into session, that there were active negotiations underway between Rangel's lawyers and the committee. Now that the charges have officially been announced, does a trial have to happen? Or can Rangel see the light tomorrow and (presumably at a higher price) plead out and end the whole thing?

We're not clear on that point yet. We're trying to get as clear an answer as we can.

Late Update: The Journal continues to report that there in fact is a preliminary deal in place. It's still being reviewed by committee lawyers, they say. And the key is that at least one of the committee Republicans has to agree to it. The Journal says a committee vote on the deal could come as early as this afternoon.

--Josh Marshall

07.29.10 -- 2:31PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (8)

On Rangel

Put this down as just a 'feel' for what's going on -- this is not based on independent reporting. But in our editorial chat just now David Kurtz said: "You get the strong sense that the leadership, the ethics committee and his own lawyers all know what's best for Charlie --Charlie himself is only one who doesn't know and probably has been cocooned for so long that he can't know what the smart move is." That's speculation. But I suspect David is right.

--Josh Marshall

07.29.10 -- 2:23PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (6)

Latest on Rangel

Here's our report.

--Josh Marshall

07.29.10 -- 2:15PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (3)

Rangel Hearings Live

Watch the Rangel hearing, which just got underway, live.

--Josh Marshall

07.29.10 -- 2:01PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (4)

Rangel Deal

All signs suggest that House Ethics Committee sachems and Charlie Rangel's lawyers have reached a deal that will prevent any public ethics 'trial' over the charges against the former Ways and Means Chair. Up on the Hill Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) just told our Brian Beutler that "an arrangement was made whereby the adjudicatory hearing won't go forward." It was not clear, however, that Hastings had heard the news through official channels or informally from House colleagues.

Separately, the Journal is reporting that a deal has been reached, though Ethics Committee staffers are apparently still reviewing the final terms of the deal.

Late Update: Or not. The Hearing is starting with the reading of the charges against Rangel. So there does not seem to be any deal yet. We're following closely and we'll update you shortly ... It's not clear whether this means the negotiations have definitively broken down or whether this represents on-going brinksmanship on the committee's part.

--Josh Marshall

07.29.10 -- 1:28PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (7)

How Far We've Come

Gray Davis now more popular than Arnold in California.

Arnold is now clocking in at a non-Terminating 19%.

--Josh Marshall

07.29.10 -- 1:17PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (33)

'I Love The Smell Of Cordite In The Morning'

U.S. military restrictions on the media are partly to blame for making Afghanistan and Iraq seem like bloodless wars to most Americans. But the media -- especially the TV networks -- are not blameless. Editorial decisions have contributed to the antiseptic view of the wars that most of us have, at least those of us who haven't fought there or who haven't had friends or family killed or wounded.

If you want to see the wars as they are actually happening, or as close to it as the military will allow, you have to turn to al Jazeera or other foreign press. Case in point: this video report from the British Guardian chronicling the grisly work of a special forces helicopter rescue team in Afghanistan's Helmand province. Really worth your time (probably NSFW due to the language):

Read more »

--David Kurtz

07.29.10 -- 12:43PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (16)

Just Say No ... To Bamboozlement

Senate Dems turn down Republican request to open senate probe into bogus New Black Panther Party voter intimidation / DOJ coverup / why can't we have our own US Attys firing scandal too case.

--Josh Marshall

07.29.10 -- 12:09PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (7)

Rangel Deal Done?

WCBS in New York is reporting that Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) has cut a deal with the House Ethics Committee to avoid a trial on charges he violated House rules. The first meeting of the subcommittee that will hear the charges against Rangel is set to meet at 1 p.m. ET. So now's the time for cutting what amounts to a plea deal. We should know one way or the other within the hour.

--David Kurtz