Month: August 2011

» » August - Page 3
Latest News

Washington Post: Appeals court upholds campaign finance ban on foreign donations
by

-By Del Quentin Wilber

August 8, 2011- A three-judge federal panel on Monday upheld a ban on campaign donations by foreigners.

The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by two Canadians challenging the legality of U.S. laws that block the financial influence of foreigners in elections.

The Canadians — one has dual Israeli citizenship — have visas to legally live and work in the United States, and they sued the Federal Election Commission to allow them to donate to political candidates and committees.

In a unanimous opinion issued in the District’s federal court, Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh wrote that it wasn’t even a close call for Congress to ban such contributions.

… Read More
Latest News

RAW Story: Voter ID law to cost Wisconsin DMV an extra $6 million
by

-By David Edwards

August 5, 2011- Fiscal responsibility has been a battle cry for Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, but his voter photo ID law is going to cost the state big bucks.

After passing the new law, Walker had tried to close at least 10 Division of Motor Vehicle (DMV) offices — allegedly in Democratic districts — but that plan was scrapped in the face of public outrage.

The DMV announced Thursday that it would instead expand services, a move expected to cost $6 million in the first year and $4 million in each year after that, according to The Wisconsin State Journal.

As a part of the move, the total number of DMV offices will be increased from 88 to 92. Overall, office hours will be expanded by 32,000 hours.

Critics claim that the new voting restrictions disenfranchise minorities, students, the poor and the elderly — all groups who tend to vote Democratic.

… Read More
Latest News

John Edwards donor to plead guilty to illegal donations
by

-By Josh Gerstein on HamptonRoads.Com

August 5, 2011- A prominent Los Angeles trial lawyer has agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanors for giving employees and a relative a total of $20,000 to donate to former Sen. John Edwards's presidential campaign in 2003, court documents show.

The L.A. attorney, Pierce O'Donnell, has agreed to serve six months in jail and to pay a fine of $20,000, according to a plea agreement filed Thursday afternoon in federal court.

… Read More
Latest News

Politico: Mystery Mitt Romney donor comes forward
by

-By Maggie Haberman

August 5, 2011- The anonymous donor behind the headline-making $1 million contribution to a pro-Mitt Romney super PAC is a former Bain Capital official with long ties to the candidate, who's asking the outside group to amend its filings, POLITICO has learned.

The check-writer is Ed Conard, who was a top official at Bain, the private-equity firm Romney helped create, and who has been a strong supporter of his over the years.

The donation, made to the super PAC "Restore Our Future" – which was founded by former Romney advisers and is able to take in unlimited contributions, but must report them to the FEC – showed up in the group's first round of filings. It was listed as coming from a W Spann LLC.

In a statement to POLITICO, Conard said, "I am the individual who formed and funded W Spann LLC. I authorized W Spann LLC’s contribution to Restore Our Future PAC.

… Read More
Latest News

Electronic Frontier Foundation: Hack the Vote 2011
by

EFF and Vegas 2.0 proudly present Hack the Vote 2011, an election about and for hackers, to be held on a Diebold AccuVote TSx electronic voting machine. The objective is simple: the candidate with the most votes following the one-day election will be crowned the new "World's No. 1 Hacker." EFF and noted e-voting security expert Professor Alex Halderman and Joseph Lorenzo Hall have designed a contest we hope will ensure that the election is… creative, if nothing else. If candidates can be elected to statewide and even nationwide office based on the the tabulations generated by electronic voting machines, surely an election by and among the best hackers in the world will be fairly decided by the number of votes cast, right? Cast your vote for special Def Con ballot measures… or register for a chance to try to make the machine do what you want instead .

… Read More
Latest News

Politicus USA: Ahead of WI Recall Elections Prosser Investigation Gets Special Prosecutor
by

-By Sarah Jones

August 3, 2011- Justice moves slowly but surely forward in Wisconsin as the DA refers the Prosser choking incident to a Special Prosecutor.

After reviewing the Dane County Sheriff’s investigation into the alleged choking of a female Supreme Court Justice by Supreme Court Justice David Prosser, the Dane County DA is requesting a special prosecutor to review the incident. Due to the expense of a special prosecutor, this move suggests that the Sheriff’s report indicates that there may be validity to the charge that Prosser put Justice Ann Walsh Bradley into a chokehold on July 13, 2011.

The Dane County District Attorney announced he has received the Dane County Sheriff’s investigation into the July 13, 2011, incident involving the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The DA issued a statement saying:

… Read More

1 2 3 4