February 11, 2009

Pajamas TV (www.PJTV.com) announced today that it will hold an initial "hearing" beginning at noon Thursday on the stimulus package here in Washington, D.C. The hearing will feature economic and health care experts who will explore the realities of the so-called stimulus package and the potential impact on future health care coverage and benefits. The hearing will also include Joe Wurzelbacher, known to America as Joe the Plumber. Full release.

Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe announced today that the Council's Executive Committee has selected former Senator Chuck Hagel as its new Chairman, effective immediately. Senator Hagel, who served two terms representing Nebraska from 1997 to 2009, received the Atlantic Council's Distinguished International Leadership Award in 2004. Full release.

Miguel O. Tejada, a Major League Baseball (MLB) player, has pled guilty to misrepresentations to a Congressional committee investigating the wrongful use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in baseball, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor and Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office, announced today. Full release.

The following was released today by UNITE HERE: Today, President/Hospitality Industries John Wilhelm's clique once more demonstrated its bad faith tactics against whole sectors of UNITE HERE. Leaders from the former UNITE proposed several common sense resolutions to try and address their concerns about the merged organizations. Rather than discuss the resolutions, President Wilhelm proposed replacement amendments and then the majority voted them in, often without discussion from anyone other than President Wilhelm. They then resubmitted several of the hostile resolutions that are already subject to a court case from when they moved them last December. Full release.

Kellogg Brown & Root LLC (KBR), a global engineering, construction and services company based in Houston, pleaded guilty today to charges related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for its participation in a decade-long scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials to obtain engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts, Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin of the Criminal Division announced. The EPC contracts to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities on Bonny Island, Nigeria, were valued at more than $6 billion. Full release.

Unwanted "change" is coming to senior citizens and all those needing medical care if the stealth rationing in the "stimulus" bill becomes law. Rationing of medical care has nothing to do with stimulating the economy, but it was inserted into the bill before the public realized it. Full release

Consumer advocates warned Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner not to allow necessary reform of the financial markets become a launching pad for insurance industry efforts to federally deregulate insurance, in a letter sent today. The nonpartisan, nonprofit Consumer Watchdog sent the letter in response to a recent letter to Secretary Geithner from some members of Congress calling for the creation of an insurance office within Treasury, which the Members have often presented as a first step toward their chief goal: federal preemption of state insurance regulation. Full release

A former decorated U.S. Marine Sergeant filed a 10 million dollar claim against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on Friday, February 6, 2009 for being harassed and targeted because of his faith as a Muslim. Sgt. Affraz Mohammed was falsely accused, prosecuted, and later acquitted during court martial proceedings for allegedly attempting to purchase an unlicensed firearm. Full release

In February of 2008, President Obama released the following statement, "Small businesses are the backbone of our nation's economy and we must protect this great resource. It is time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." Full release

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