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TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's Toyota Motor Corp said the head of its fast-growing North American operations has agreed to step down following a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by his assistant. Hideaki Otaka, president and chief executive of Toyota Motor North America, denies the allegations but agreed to bring forward his departure date to Monday from the end of June, the world's number two automaker announced. "At Toyota, we have zero tolerance for sexual harassment or discrimination of any kind," Toyota Motor Corp president Katsuaki Watanabe said in a statement issued late Monday. Yuki Funo, 59, currently head of Toyota Motor...

 Little noticed in the kerfuffle over the takeover of major US ports by Dubai Ports is the key role being played by former Democratic Party leaders. Lobbying firms associated with ex-Democratic Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and Madeleine Albright (Clinton’s Secretary of State) have been working (paid subscription only link) to secure approval of the purchase by Dubai. One would think that our leaders, even when out of office, would care more about their nation than their bank accounts.This hopefully will give impetus to a bill (drafted by Republican Congressman Mike Rogers of Michigan) working its slow way through Congress that would bar...

Here it is: Final Report

This is not about Dick Morris’ latest book, Condi vs. Hillary: The Next Great Presidential Race. The issue today is “Should America have a woman President?” I reply, “Of course, and not a moment too soon. But shouldn’t we put a LITTLE thought into which woman would be good for the job?” The woman/White House issue is, of course, raised by the new ABC program “Commander in Chief,” starring Geena Davis. Does anyone have slight doubt that a President should be impeached and removed, rather than praised, if he/she threatened war against another nation for executing one of its citizens,...

Sandy Berger answers questions in the White House briefing room in this Thursday, March 25, 1999 file photo. Former national security adviser Sandy Berger will plead guilty to taking classified material from the National Archives, a misdemeanor, the Justice Department said Thursday. Berger is expected to appear in federal court in Washington on Friday, said Justice spokesman Bryan Sierra. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File) Former Ntl Security Advisor Pleads Guilty to Taking Classified Materials WASHINGTON Apr 1, 2005 — Former national security adviser Sandy Berger, who once had unfettered access to the government's most sensitive secrets, pleaded guilty Friday to sneaking...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Tracey Schmitt 202-863-8614 “MoveOn.org’s vulgar depiction of a violent attack on the Capitol -- a building that symbolizes our democracy -- is beyond the pale of acceptable political discourse. Democrats know Senator Frist’s efforts are intended to restore Senate tradition by granting highly qualified judicial nominees the vote they deserve and have received for the past 214 years. It’s sad that the Democrats and their third party allies would choose to play on Americans’ fears instead of engaging in constructive political debate.” - RNC Communications Director Brian JonesMoveon.Org Has Long History Of Airing Inflammatory And Inappropriate Ads...

FLASH: LARRY FLYNT OBTAINS DIVORCE RECORDS OF BUSH UN NOMINEE JOHN BOLTON -- Divorce Records Show First Wife Fled Home When He Was Traveling Abroad... Explosive: Flynt asks questions about sex... "Allegations that Mr. Bolton’s first wife, Christina Bolton, was forced to engage in group sex have not been refuted by the State Dep't despite inquires posed by Hustler publisher Larry Flynt concerning the allegations. Flynt has obtained information from various sources that Bolton participated in paid visits to Plato’s Retreat, a popular swingers club that operated in NYC in late 1970s and early 1980s.... MORE COMING....

Texans are generally gung-ho for law and order. They support the death penalty for capital crimes and tough prison sentences meted out to drug users and multiple offenders. That enthusiasm doesn't seem to extend to automated traffic enforcement systems that can videotape cars zooming through red lights and then mail tickets to the vehicle owner later. It's the rare Houston motorist who hasn't narrowly escaped being struck by an impatient driver trying to beat a red light. Police officers joke that Houstonians believe a red light means only three more cars can go through the intersection. Places of business as...

Ex-fugitive Marc Rich is suspected of having become one of Saddam Hussein's middlemen in Iraq's illegal oil trade just a month after he won a controversial pardon from former President Bill Clinton, a news report said. ABC News reported last night that Rich's alleged role in the growing UN oil-for-food scandal is under investigation by federal officials. Rich, who was pardoned by Clinton in January 2001, and several other prominent oil traders are suspected of making illegal kickbacks to Iraq to win the lucrative oil contracts, the network reported. The UN program was set up in 1996 to help Iraqis...

The Reynolds story... November 24, 2004 BY MICHAEL SNEED SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Former U.S. Rep. Mel Reynolds was reportedly a personal guest of former President Bill Clinton at the dedication of his library in Little Rock, Ark., last week. *Background: During his final hours in office, Clinton commuted the jail sentence of Reynolds, who served 2-1/2 years in federal prison on charges of corruption and having sex with an underage girl. Reynolds petitioned for clemency so he could be reunited with his children, who he felt needed him desperately. Clinton concurred. *Foreground: Reynolds was accompanied by his son and namesake, 11-year...

In recent weeks, The Heinz Endowments has been accused of using its funding of the Tides Center of Western Pennsylvania to advance a laundry list of partisan causes and fringe political groups. This accusation is simply wrong. It originated in an opinion column written by a researcher for the conservative, Washington, D.C.-based Capital Research Center. The crux of CRC’s argument is that money directed by the Endowments to Tides is "fungible." By supporting projects through Tides, CRC alleged that Heinz has secretly funneled money to every other organization that has ever received funding through Tides Center and the separate Tides...

TAMPA - At 70 years old, Gloria Steinem cannot be considered the poster child for punk rock music. But that didn't stop the famous women's rights activist from partnering with Punkvoter.com, a Washington, D.C., collective of punk bands campaigning against President Bush. Punkvoter.com invited Steinem to join it in Tampa on Sunday for a concert stop at an Ybor City club. But before taking the stage with the bands Anti-Flag, Strike Anywhere and others, she swung by a Michael Moore rally at the University of South Florida and spoke at a Planned Parenthood fundraiser at the Columbia Restaurant. "This is...

I admire the courage of astronaut John Glenn. He has led our great nation into space and slipped the bounds of Earth's atmosphere as he sped off into the aether. Only this time, he neglected to suit up and travel on a rocket. John Glenn had this to say regarding the recent GOP convention. Former senator John Glenn (D-Ohio) took the defense a step further by comparing the Republicans' misleading statements to those of Nazi Germany. "You've just got to separate out fact from fiction. . . . Too often, too often, in this country, if you hear something repeated,...

I wouldn't have posted this as a separate topic until I heard on the radio on the way home from the rally that the AP had reported the crowd booed when it was annnounced that the former president had been hospitalized. That is a bold faced lie. I understand it was later retracted, but that's like unringing a bell. I do not think it was in error, either, since the writer further stated that 'Bush did nothing to stop them.' Shameful.The rally was amazing. I don't know how many were in attendance, but the crowd could not have been more...

Many democrats have told Senator Kerry in private to elevate the role of Clinton White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart. Kerry was also advised to reconfigure the department for managing the message, arguably the most important job in politics--dominated by round the clock media coverage. One top Democrat said James Carville, the Clinton's top strategist, is urging the campaign to bring on Paul Begala, who worked for Carville, in a senior position to help with message and strategy. Begala is a Kerry friend who already informally advises the campaign. Several Kerry friends have also privately told the candidate to quit...

HEWITT: Sitting across from me Terry McAuliffe. Strike me dead. It’s so good to see you here Mr. Chairman. It’s good to have you at the Democratic National Convention and at the Republican National Convention MCAULIFFE: Who would have thought that I’d be going around with a credential at the Republican Convention. HEWITT: Can you stay for a couple of hours? MCAULIFFE: Love to. Love it here. Everybody is being hospitable to me. HEWITT: I want to start with some very easy questions. MCAULIFFE: Yeah. HEWITT: Do you believe that John Kerry took a CIA man into Cambodia and kept...

George Bush-bashing celebs have joined forces with Moveon.org on a new series of campaign commercials. The celeb-studded spots feature the voices of Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Martin Sheen, Rob Reiner and Ed Asner and star Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Woody Harrelson, Illeana Douglas and Margaret Cho. Janeane Garafalo hosted Tuesday night's kick-off at Hammerstein Ballroom, billed as "10 Weeks: Don't Get Mad, Get Even!" Howard Dean, Kevin Bacon, Edie Falco, "School of Rock" director Richard Linklater and Al Franken fired up the faithful. Musical guests included The Roots, Natalie Merchant, Moby and Perry Farrell, who joined forces for Jane's Addiction's "Idiots Rule,"...

A SPECTACULAR malfunction in laws designed to clean up US politics has sent almost $250m (£135m) into the hands of ‘para-political’ groups dedicated to negative campaigning in the race for the White House.A cast of billionaires, including financier George Soros and film producer Stephen Bing, are bankrolling a new breed of pressure groups which can raise limitless cash as long as they agree not to support any one candidate. The majority focus on attacking President George W Bush - ensuring a flood of the venomous political attacks which have characterised the race for the White House in recent weeks. But...

Sen. Clinton built life on faith BY JANE FULLERTON SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Posted on Sunday, August 8, 2004 As Hillary Rodham Clinton builds the public record she began as Arkansas’ first lady, continued as the nation’s first lady and is now expanding as New York’s junior senator, her views on religion remain central to her outlook on life and her position on issues. Although she doesn’t go out of her way to publicize her religious views, neither does she shy from discussing them. Indeed, those who know Sen. Clinton believe her Christian faith has been the motivation for many...

The Iraq War did not Force Gadaffi's HandThe Financial Times, March 9, 2004Martin S. Indyk, Director, Saban Center for Middle East Policy Martin S. Indyk Embarrassed by the failure to find Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, President George W. Bush is trying to find another WMD-related justification for his pre-emptive war on Iraq. Bush administration spokesmen have been quick to portray Libya's December decision to abandon WMD programmes as the direct result of the US invasion of Iraq or, as Mr. Bush himself put it in his State of the Union address: "Nine months of intense negotiations succeeded with...