Free Republic

A cat escape caused a four-hour delay for an Air Canada flight Thursday as airline staff in Halifax struggled to get the feline from its hiding place in cockpit wiring. (Jan. 27) [Associated Press]

LONDON (Reuters) - A weaker sun over the next 90 years is not likely to significantly delay a rise in global temperature caused by greenhouse gases, a report said Monday. The study, by Britain's Meteorological Office and the university of Reading, found that the Sun's output would decrease up until 2100 but this would only lead to a fall in global temperatures of 0.08 degrees Celsius. Scientists have warned that more extreme weather is likely across the globe this century as the Earth's climate warms. The world is expected to heat up by over 2 degrees Celsius this century due...

The White House is delaying for one week the release of President Obama's budget for the 2013 fiscal year that starts Oct. 1, a decision that administration officials say was based on "the need to finalize decisions and technical details" but which Republicans say is a direct violation of law. "This will mark the third time in four years the president has missed his statutory requirement to present a budget on time, while trillion-dollar budget deficits continue to mount. As the president announces another missed deadline, tomorrow marks the 1,000th day Senate Democrats have gone without any budget at all,"...

Obama delays budget for 2013 By Erik Wasson - 01/23/12 02:08 PM ET President Obama will release his 2013 budget one week late, an administration official said Monday, the third time the administration has missed the legal deadline. Under the law, the budget is to be released on the first Monday in February, but the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will be releasing the 2013 budget on Feb. 13. The Obama administration also delayed the release of the budget last year, waiting until Feb. 14. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said the delay is symptomatic of a...

MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin residents have overwhelmed the state Justice Department with so many concealed weapon permit applications agency officials say they probably won't meet deadlines for issuing approvals this month despite pulling dozens of employees from other tasks to help.

The inevitable appears about to take place: The Obama administration is said to be considering a manoeuvre that would save it from having to render a decision on the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Alberta until after the presidential election next year. The [external] Los Angeles Times reports: The Obama administration is considering a move that could delay a decision on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline by requiring sponsors to reduce the project’s environmental risks before it can be approved, according to people with knowledge of the deliberations. The step might put off a decision until after the 2012 election...

A top Palestinian official said Wednesday that President Mahmoud Abbas would accept no political delays on his bid for membership in the United Nations, rejecting mounting pressure from the United States and France to first return to negotiations with Israel. The Palestinians plan to submit their letter of application on Friday when Abbas is to speak to the U.N. General Assembly, but he faced a withering lack of support as the world body opened its annual meeting. President Barack Obama said there could be no "shortcuts" in the quest for Middle East peace, a message that was echoed by French...

President Barack Obama and other administration officials are considering releasing a photo of Osama bin Laden's corpse on Tuesday, according to a report. Also being considered for release are videos from "helmet cams" of the Navy SEALS elite team that carried out the operation in a town just north of Islamabad, Pakistan, ABC News reported. The troops captured the mission on tape wearing the helmet cameras. "We are looking at releasing additional information, details about the raid as well as any other types of material, possibly including photos. We want to understand exactly what the possible reaction might be to...

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said yesterday that Republicans have done so well in cutting spending that he declared an “ongoing victory,” and said there is simply no fat left to cut in the federal budget. Mr. DeLay was defending Republicans’ choice to borrow money and add to this year’s expected $331 billion deficit to pay for Hurricane Katrina relief. Some Republicans have said Congress should make cuts in other areas, but Mr. DeLay said that doesn’t seem possible... Asked if that meant the government was running at peak efficiency, Mr. DeLay said, “Yes, after 11 years of Republican majority...

Moammar Khadafy can survive and even prevail over the vastly more pow erful and technologically advanced NATO-led coalition. To do so, the Libyan dictator can not only exploit the inherent weaknesses of any coalition, but even turn NATO's technologies into a weakness. From the Navy's Top Gun to the Army's OPFOR (Opposing Force), the US military systematically trains to think like its enemies -- to anticipate how the enemy will try to overcome US advantages, pitting his strengths against our weaknesses. This classic "Red Hat versus Blue Hat" analysis begins by comparing objectives. The United States and NATO want to...

Judge bows out of DeLay associates' trialReason for removing self remains secret; trial set for April is likely to be postponed. By Laylan Copelin AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Updated: 10:26 p.m. Thursday, March 10, 2011 The judge who sentenced former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to three years in prison removed himself Thursday from the upcoming trial of two DeLay associates, John Colyandro of Austin and James Ellis of Washington. A few hours later, Senior District Judge Pat Priest denied DeLay's motion for a new trial, kicking off DeLay's appeal of his felony conviction. In those two separate actions, Priest apparently...

Back in November, we editorialized that to get a better idea of how credible is the conviction of Tom DeLay, "look to the sentencing phase." Well, the sentence has been rendered and it's easy to see that the conviction has virtually no credibility.

AUSTIN — The three-year prison sentence meted out to former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay in a political money laundering case is far harsher than sentences recommended for two other public offenders recently convicted in Central Texas. .. likelihood that DeLay's case will be overturned on appeal before he ever sees the inside of a prison cell, according to several criminal defense lawyers. DeLay's sentence may reflect more on his remorseless attitude before visiting District Judge Pat Priest than on the seriousness of the crime, .. "Maybe DeLay flunked the attitude test in front of Pat Priest," William Allison,...

With Texas judge Pat Priest imposing a sentence of three years in prison on former House majority leader Tom DeLay, it is not an exaggeration to say that this is the culmination of an undeserved, unjustified, and unconscionable act of political persecution. It is the result of an abusive prosecution that exemplifies the drive to criminalize politics and to make the ordinary processes of raising and spending funds for political campaigns a crime. The man who should be on trial in Texas is Ronnie Earle, the unethical Travis County prosecutor who went after DeLay as part of a political vendetta...

judge has ordered U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to serve three years in prison for his role in a scheme to illegally funnel corporate money to Texas candidates in 2002. The sentence comes after a jury in November convicted DeLay on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. DeLay was once one of the most powerful men in U.S. politics, ascending to the No. 2 job in the House of Representatives. The former Houston-area congressman had faced up to life in prison. His attorneys asked for probation.

AUSTIN, Texas – Prosecutors abruptly concluded presenting their case in the sentencing hearing of former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, convicted last year on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

I cannot help but notice the overwhelming silence from the GOP on the matter of ex-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's prosecution and trial. Ever since he was forced to step down back in 2005, he has been in a kind of limbo or worse. Two things stand out to me: He was extremely focused and effective in his efforts -- none of which benefited him personally but which benefited his party and his state immensely. His success has earned him the abandonment of his party's members. No one says a peep about him. He may as well have dropped off...

Delay comes as a result of Obama's difficulties in pushing next year's budget through Congress due to Republican opposition. American aid to Israel for developing and buying additional Iron Dome anti-rocket batteries might be delayed for at least a few months due to President Barack Obama's difficulties in pushing next year's budget through Congress. The delay will mean a long wait before the weapons can be bought from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. In May, the House of Representatives approved Obama's decision to grant $205 million in special aid to Israel to buy the additional batteries and intercept missiles. Israel has...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is likely to delay the start of his Christmas vacation to help several of his key legislative goals pass Congress before the end of the year, the White House said on Monday. Obama is tentatively scheduled to depart on Saturday for Hawaii, where the family traditionally spends its year-end vacation. But lawmakers are still debating the extension of Bush-era tax cuts and a new nuclear weapons deal, both of which Obama is eager to see approved. "The president will be here for as long as Congress is here," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs,...

Around Washington, Rep. Tom DeLay was known as "the Hammer." It's a title he earned for his effective ness when he served in the role of majority whip. The whip is the person tasked with counting votes and building support for legislation. As whip, Mr. DeLay was uniquely effective at enacting and implementing the Contract With America and key portions of the George W. Bush agenda. He also was able to flex his political muscle within the state of Texas to leave his mark on the redistricting process. Tom DeLay was a very skilled politician. He understood the legislative and...

AUSTIN, Texas – Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay — once one of the most powerful and feared Republicans in Congress — was convicted Wednesday on charges he illegally funneled corporate money to Texas candidates in 2002.

Short clip of Delay, moments after the verdict saying 'I still maintain that I'm innocent"

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay—once one of the most powerful and feared Republicans in Congress—was convicted Wednesday on charges he illegally funneled corporate money to Texas candidates in 2002. Jurors deliberated for 19 hours before returning guilty verdicts against DeLay on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He faces up to life in prison on the money laundering charge. Prosecutors said DeLay, who once held the No. 2 job in the House of Representatives and whose heavy-handed style earned him the nickname "the Hammer," used his political action committee to...

For five years, the case against Tom DeLay for money laundering through his Texans for a Republican Majority PAC has been seemingly trapped in the Texas courts facing pre-trial appeals. On November 1, it finally made it to trial and today the verdict is in: guilty on both money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The slightly-less-than-humble DeLay lost his majority leadership in Congress after the indictment came down, but he has maintained his claims that this case was politically motivated throughout the entire process right up to defense attorney Dick DeGuerin's closing arguments. The jury clearly didn't buy...

Jurors considering the political money laundering case against former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on Tuesday delved deep into the evidence, but asked so many legal questions that the judge warned them that they were getting off track... DeLay had with him a copy of Empire of the Summer Moon, a recent nonfiction book about the Comanche people and their famed chief, Quanah Parker, and a TouchPoint Bible that allows readers to find Scripture relevant to their lives. "No demons, nor angels nor DAs can keep you separated from the love of Jesus Christ," DeLay said, playing off of...

Five years after former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay demanded a speedy trial on political money laundering charges, a Travis County jury is now determining his fate. The six-man, six-woman panel showed up at court Monday with a majority of the members dressed in black. They elected one of the women as foreman. And when they returned three times to the courtroom to ask the judge questions during their four hours of deliberation, they all looked away from DeLay. The jurors also were asking visiting Judge Pat Priest questions that indicated they were buying into DeLay's defense that no...

Testimony in Tom DeLay's money-laundering trial ended in Austin, Texas, without the former House majority leader testifying. Closing arguments are set for Monday, the Houston Chronicle reported. DeLay said after Thursday's court session he got to make his case when prosecutors played his 2005 interview with Chris Wallace of Fox News. "The reason I didn't testify is there was no need to. … I can't believe the prosecution finished their case with my testimony," he said. In the interview, DeLay said he knew of a money swap between his Texans for a Republican Majority and the Republican National Committee, but...

On the day after Republicans trounced Democrats in the midterm elections, Tom DeLay strolled around a courtroom here with an American flag lapel pin, looking carefree and chatting with strangers at his money-laundering trial with the habitual charm of a seasoned politician. .... What remains unclear is whether Mr. DeLay actually committed a crime under state law. That will be up to a jury of six men and six women, unless the defense can persuade Judge Pat Priest to dismiss the charges after the prosecution rests its case. Mr. DeLay resigned in 2005, after two decades in Congress, the day...

...Prosecutors contend that the former House majority leader used his PAC to illegally funnel $190,000 in corporate donations into Texas legislative races eight years ago. DeLay, who was spending Election Day in court, is charged with money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He has denied any wrongdoing. If convicted, Delay could face up to life in prison... Ceverha said corporate funds had been gathered to pay for the PAC's administrative costs and not for candidates. ...The money helped Republicans in 2002 take control of the Texas House. That majority allowed Republicans to push through a congressional redistricting plan...

AUSTIN, Texas — A jury was chosen Tuesday in the trial of former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a once powerful but polarizing politician accused of illegally financing Texas GOP legislative races in 2002. The panel of six men and six women, along with two alternates, was selected after attorneys spent more than eight hours quizzing potential jurors about whether their political beliefs could interfere in their ability to make an impartial decision. Most said it wouldn't affect them........ DeLay is charged with money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted of money laundering, he faces...

Lankov on the delay in the Worker’s Party conference /snip First, it is possible that the North Korean elite is far less united than it is usually assumed, so some factions are seriously unhappy about the likely choice of successor and/or expected composition of the new leadership /snip Second, the delay might reflect something more sinister – the growing inability of Kim Jong Il to pass reasonable judgments and make rational decisions, his tendency to follow impulses and emotions. Indeed, in the last two years of strange and seemingly irrational things began to happen in North Korea with alarming and...

Little more than decade after the Republican Revolution swept into power with a mission to cut Washington down to size, the GOP Congress declared intellectual bankruptcy on Sept. 13, 2005. That day, then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay declared “victory” over government spending, saying nothing was left to cut.

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, will be tried on money laundering charges in Austin, a Texas judge ruled Wednesday. The ruling came as part of pretrial hearings during which DeLay argued he should be tried in Houston, near his home, because the case involves election matters, the Austin American-Statesman reported. His attorney, Dick DeGuerin also argued DeLay could not get a fair trial in Travis County. "I know there's negative feeling about Tom DeLay -- and it's strong," Senior District Judge Pat Priest said, adding DeLay could get a fair trial nonetheless....

Tom DeLay says once his money-laundering trial is over - and he expects to win - he intends to go after the public integrity unit that brought his indictment in the first place. Under state law, the Travis County district attorney is authorized to prosecute corruption cases against Texas politicians. It's been doing it for years - prosecuting Attorney General Jim Mattox and House Speaker Gib Lewis (both Democrats) and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (a Republican). But DeLay said Tuesday that when the unit targeted him, it went too far. The public integrity unit is funded by the state. The...

Rod Blagojevich's retrial may not start until next year, and if he wants the public to pay for his defense, he will get only two lawyers -- down from seven. In a private conference last week, Judge James Zagel told lawyers a quick retrial on the corruption charges wasn't likely because of the logistics of getting a new jury pool. Zagel said he didn't want to put a "Christmas burden" on jurors, pushing a retrial possibly to January at the earliest, according to sources with knowledge of the meeting. The two lawyers are not likely to be Sam Adam Jr....

As long you are a Democrat, you are good to go. However, if you are a Republican, the odds are that media reports will endlessly be against you, while your colleagues jump atop of each other to push you under the bus.

When former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay announced that the Justice Department was dropping its six-year investigation of his relationship with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, The Washington Post put the news on the front page Tuesday. The New York Times decided that this story was best put on page A-18.

AUSTIN — Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on Monday put the 5-year-old federal investigation into his relationship with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff behind him and turned his attention to an impending trial on Texas ethics issues. DeLay said federal prosecutors told his attorneys last week that he had been "cleared" of any criminal violations in their investigation of Abramoff. The formerRepublican lawmaker, who represented Sugar Land from 1984 to 2006, also said he is ready for up to three days of pre-trial hearings slated to start Aug. 24 in Austin on a state money-laundering charge related to campaign...

Feds Clear DeLay. He Calls Pelosi “The Swamp”Chad Pergram | August 16, 2010 It's been a long time since former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) got the chance to come out swinging in public. But that's exactly what the feisty former GOP leader did Monday when the Justice Department told his attorneys it closed its inquiry of DeLay after a six year probe. DeLay was his vintage himself during a telephone conference call with reporters. "They didn't have anything," DeLay boasted. "The case was so weak I never did meet with anyone from the Justice Department and never appeared...

WASHINGTON—A lawyer for Tom DeLay said Monday that the Justice Department has ended an investigation of the former congressman and won't file criminal charges. One of Mr. DeLay's lawyers, Richard Cullen, said the Justice Department's Office of Public Integrity informed Mr. DeLay's legal team early last week that it was ending the investigation. Justice Department spokeswoman Laura Sweeney declined to comment, which is normally the case when the department ends a criminal probe without filing charges.

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has ended its six-year criminal probe of the ties between former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and disgraced ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff without filing any criminal charges against the former congressman. One of DeLay's lawyers, Richard Cullen, said Monday the Justice Department's Office of Public Integrity informed DeLay's legal team early last week that it was ending the investigation. "Six years is a long time and I'm sure he wishes it had happened years ago," Cullen said of the conclusion of the investigation. Cullen added that "for me, the result trumps the timing." Justice Department spokeswoman...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has asked the state’s air-quality enforcers to postpone a rule to require 33 percent of the power used by utilities to come from renewable sources such as wind and solar energy. Schwarzenegger asked the Air Resources Board to delay until September its adoption of the new regulation, which had been expected this month. The Republican governor said he made the request because of “ongoing discussions with legislative leaders to develop a bill that I can sign.” If those negotiations don’t prove fruitful, the ARB “will be ready and able to adopt the regulations at that time (in...

Members of Communist-backed labor union say they blocked five El Al counters for two hours to protest Gaza siege. An Israel-bound flight was delayed for about two hours at Athens International Airport Wednesday after protesters against the blockade of Gaza blocked check-in counters, airport officials said. Members of a Communist-backed labor union said they blocked five El Al airline counters for two hours to protest the Israeli blockade of Gaza and the Jewish state's oppressive policies.

NEW ORLEANS — The giant Taiwanese oil skimmer known as 'A Whale' is getting another chance to prove its value in the Gulf of Mexico. But the leader of the federal response, Thad Allen, doubts the effectiveness of the "A Whale." The ship is supposed to suck up to 21 million gallons of oily water per day. Allen said Thursday it seems more useful in a huge pool of oil than in thousands of smaller slicks. Bob Grantham, spokesman for TMT Shipping, says the U.S. Coast Guard has approved another week of testing. Grantham says the vessel has already made...

Everyone knows how this works, if I missed any good ones let me know by commenting below! 10. Didn’t know about the spill because the teleprompters were on vacation. 9. Someone challenged him to see how many rounds of golf he can play before people get pissed. 8. Didn’t want to act until his team created an oil spill graphic that incorporated his logo 7. Was too busy waterboarding Rahm Emmanuel for answers on why his cabinet calls him President Jenga. 6. Didn’t know where to go because “Caution Slippery Floor” signs wont stand on water. 5. Wasn’t sure...

A Justice Department corruption investigation that helped drive John Doolittle from office has now been closed without charges being filed, the former Sacramento, Calif.-area congressman said Friday. "I'm thrilled," Doolittle said in an interview. "They've dragged this thing out for six and a half years." Doolittle's relief, though, is tinged with bitterness at how he believes the Justice Department has mistreated him. He says he accumulated $600,000 in attorneys fees, some of which he was able to pay with campaign funds. The lingering investigation hindered his ability to find work. In the beginning, he said, it proved "very devastating" to...

Activists are asking the Phoenix Union High School District to prevent school resource officers from enforcing of the state's new immigration law on campus. The law, which goes into effect July 29, requires police to question anyone they suspect is in the country illegally and makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally. Linda Brown of the Arizona Advocacy Network asked Phoenix Union board members on Thursday to show leadership and restore dignity to students by blocking school officers from complying with the law. Phoenix Union lawyer Lynne C. Adams says school-resource officers are employees of the...

Appeals court denies request to delay Blagojevich trialTrial set to begin June 3 WGN-TV News Desk WGN News May 11, 2010 CHICAGO - The 7th Circuit Court of appeals has denied a request by defense attorneys for former Governor Blagojevich to delay the start of this trial. His defense team said the trial should not start until after the Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of the so-called "honest services" fraud law, otherwise Blagojevich could not receive a fair trial. That law gives the public the right to have officials serve honestly. It is being challenged elsewhere around the country....

Frank On Fannie: Don't Blame Me, Blame DeLayReporting Dave Bryan Apr 29, 2010 6:10 am US/Pacific LOS ANGELES (CBS) - Barney Frank has heard the criticism. Some voters say Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac imploded on his watch. But in a, well, frank interview with KCAL 9 political reporter Dave Bryan, Frank says not to blame him...he says to blame Tom DeLay. **SNIP** But first, Frank wanted to adresss some critics that he was complicit in the collapse of the housing market that started in 2007. Bryan asked Frank if the criticism was fair. "No," says Frank, "I was in...

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has won a critical vote in the Likud, giving him the right to postpone party primaries for 20 months. Over three-quarters, 77%, of Likud Central Committee voters were reported to have voted for his proposal postponing party primaries until 2011. The vote represented a significant, possibly fatal loss for the Manhigut Yehudit (Jewish Leadership) faction, headed by Moshe Feiglin, which had attempted to convince voters that postponing the elections would lead to the division of Jerusalem.