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No local news about 2009 MDA telethon.

Despite the effects of an uncertain economy, contributions and pledges to the 44th annual Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon over Labor Day nonetheless totaled $60,481,231 million. MDA National Chairman and Telethon star Jerry Lewis said he was impressed by the show of support from Telethon viewers even during hard times. "These are very special people, and their money comes straight from the heart," Lewis said. "Right now, the only thing I can think of to say, other than thank you, thank you is, 'love conquers all.' So many people, everywhere, even with cares of their own, dug deep to show their...

TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 27, 2009 – Fire up the barbies, and the flat screen TVs and join comedy legend Jerry Lewis for his 44th annual Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon this Labor Day weekend, Sept. 6-7. “I’m determined to keep fighting for a cure for muscular dystrophy because my kids deserve to live long and healthy lives,” said Lewis, MDA’s national chairman and Telethon star.

Gitmo vote proves a doozy for Dems @ 6:16 pm by Aaron Blake House Democrats have just taken one of their most difficult votes of the election cycle. And if you don't believe it, check out the roll call. The 213-212 vote against today's amendment from Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) seeking to stop funding the closing of Guantanamo Bay prison split Democrats in a painful way. In all, 39 Democrats voted with Republicans, and with just two exceptions, they are either Blue Dogs, vulnerable or eyeing higher office. A couple key notes: * The close nature of the vote cost...

House Republicans failed Thursday in their efforts to block President Obama's decision to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, but lawmakers still moved ahead with legislation that opposes the president's plans. While debating a bill to fund the Justice Department, lawmakers initially defeated an amendment by Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif. to ban the government from spending any money to close the prison by a vote of 216-212. After a rare legislative procedure triggered a recount, it was defeated again, 213-212.

Jerry Lewis & The Unforgiving Left Jerry Lewis has dedicated much of his personal and professional life to the cause of Muscular Dystrophy. Decade after decade with his yearly telethon and other works Lewis has been a one man show in keeping this awful disease in the public consciousness. And yet some on the Left, because in their diseased minds a half-century of charity work is wiped out by the uttering of “fag,” want to deny Lewis the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: I also have learned that protests are coming into the Academy about its Board of Governors’ choice of...

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Jerry Lewis made an anti-gay slur on Australian television similar to one he apologized for using on his annual telethon a year ago. Following a news conference in Sydney Friday, Lewis, 82, was asked by a Network Ten national TV reporter for his opinion on the Australian nation sport of cricket. "Oh, cricket? It's a f-- game. What are you, nuts?" Lewis replied. The network broadcast the comment in full on its Friday evening news bulletin along with footage of Lewis handling an imaginary cricket bat with an effeminate gesture. Lewis apologized in September last year...

The nation's best insurance program will receive a lot of publicity this weekend. Jerry Lewis will conduct the annual Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon this weekend. The Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethon has been a tradition since the first Labor Day telethon in New York City in 1966. Lewis and former comedy partner Dean Martin had previously conducted a telethon in New York City in 1955, but it wasn't on Labor Day. Jerry Lewis and all the other performers donate their services and receive no payment. Most people don't think of MDA as being an insurance program because it doesn't charge...

LAS VEGAS - Police say they have confiscated a gun belonging to Jerry Lewis that was found in the 82-year-old entertainer's carryon bag as he prepared to fly to Detroit from Las Vegas.

US comedian Jerry Lewis apologised today for his use of an anti-gay slur during the weekend broadcast of his annual Labor Day Telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The controversial remark came yesterday in the 18th hour of the live national telecast, when a visibly weary Lewis, 81, was joking on stage, pretending to introduce members of someone's family as he mugged for the camera. "Oh, your family has come to see you. You remember Bart, your oldest son, Jesse, the illiterate fag ...," Lewis said, as he apparently caught himself and ceased the gag in mid-sentence, turning on his...

After Jerry Lewis apologized for making an anti-gay slur during his MDA Telethon on Monday, GLAAD issued the following statement to TMZ: "GLAAD thanks Jerry Lewis for his swift and direct apology for this incident. We join millions of Americans in applauding the important work of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and wish MDA and Mr. Lewis much continued success in their efforts."

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Tuesday denounced comedian Jerry Lewis' use of the word "fag" on Lewis' annual Labor Day Telethon for Muscular Dystrophy and called on him to apologize. "Jerry Lewis' on-air use of this kind of anti-gay slur is simply unacceptable," GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano said in a statement posted on the group's Web site. "It also feeds a climate of hatred and intolerance that contributes to putting our community in harm's way." In the 18th hour of the 21 1/2-hour telethon Monday, Lewis -- bow tie undone and shirt collar open -- stumbled...

Sept. 4, 2007 While Jerry Lewis raised millions of dollars during his annual Labor Day telethon, he also caused a bit of controversy. During the 18th hour of the telethon to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the 81-year-old actor, riffing in front of the camera very late in the broadcast, introduced an unseen family member with a description that sounded like either "the illiterate fatty" or "the illiterate faggot." In a video clip of the incident posted on the Internet, Lewis swaggers across the stage, appearing to dodge a cameraman before making the slightly muddled statement. He then seemingly catches...

Showman Jerry Lewis sets a goal for his annual Labor Day Telethon to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association of $1 more than the previous year. He met that mark, plus almost $3 million on Monday. "We did it. We did it. I got my buck more. And more. We can go shopping," a jubilant Lewis said as the tote board topped $63.7 million for his 42nd telethon. Last year's record was $61 million. As in the past, the International Association of Fire Fighters anchored the donations from local fill-the-boot drives with $25.2 million, eclipsing last year's $23.5 million. "Whoa, whoa...

Rep. Jerry Lewis' campaign committee failed to properly report more than $276,000 in stock earnings to the Federal Election Commission last year, campaign finance records show.

Besides Doolittle, California Republicans with ethics problems are: _Rep. Jerry Lewis (news, bio, voting record), now in his 15th term and chairman of the Appropriations Committee last year when federal prosecutors in Los Angeles began investigating his ties to a lobbyist with clients in his district. _Rep. Gary Miller (news, bio, voting record), in his fifth term, who's drawn scrutiny over a tax deferral strategy he used in a profitable real estate sale to a Southern California town outside his district. _Rep. Ken Calvert (news, bio, voting record), in his eighth term, who denies any conflict over pushing federal funding...

Republican sources on Capitol Hill and in California say Rep. Jerry Lewis, ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee who has been criticized on ethical grounds, will not seek a 16th term next year. Lewis came under fire last year for pouring millions of dollars worth of earmarks into his heavily Republican southern California district. He has not apologized and vigorously defended himself behind closed doors in the House Republican Conference. Lewis is one of at least six Republican House members from California who have faced ethical scrutiny, beginning when Duke Cunningham was sent to prison. Most recently, Rep. Ken...

Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, a prodigious fundraiser who will campaign today in California, is partner in a law firm [Bracewell & Giuliani] with a generous political action committee -- one that gave nearly 40 percent of its contributions to Democrats in the 2006 midterm elections, including $5,000 to then-Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco. Bracepac contributed to 53 Democratic candidates and 50 Republicans in the 2006 election cycle, federal records show. In California, Bracepac donations went mostly to Democrats, although the political action committee also contributed $2,500 to Pombo and $3,500 to Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands (San...

After the voters slaughtered House Republicans this past November, most people expected some period of introspection and house cleaning among the GOP. Having seen Duke Cunningham (R.-Ca.), Tom DeLay (R.-Tx), and Mark Foley (R.-Fl.) resign over various indictments and accusations, people thought the Grand Old Party had lost its way. When campaigning to become Minority Leader, John Boehner appeared to recognize this problem. In his campaign manifesto he wrote, “In 1994 we made it clear we wouldn't tolerate such activity, and showed our differences with the Democrats, by changing our rules to deny prime leadership and committee positions from any...

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Thursday that Debra Yang's departure as U.S. attorney in Los Angeles was unrelated to her office's investigation of Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands. "From what I know, Ms. Yang's resignation was entirely voluntary. She did a wonderful job," Gonzales told a House Judiciary Committee hearing. He said that Yang had financial reasons for going to the private sector last October. Yang is not among the eight U.S. attorneys whose firings last year have turned into a controversy for the Justice Department. But Democrats have raised suspicions about Yang's case because she left while her office was...

Senate Democrats signaled Sunday that of the eight U.S. attorneys abruptly fired by the Bush administration, the case in San Diego is emerging as the most troubling because of new allegations that U.S. Attorney Carol Lam was fired in a direct attempt to shut down investigations into Republican politicians in Southern California. ...Lam spearheaded the case against Randy "Duke" Cunningham, the former Republican congressman from Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., who pleaded guilty to bribery and income-tax evasion. He was sentenced in March 2006 to eight years and four months in prison.

WASHINGTON - With the presidential election less than two years away, a handful of California lawmakers are already rallying around former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani for the Republican nomination. Among them: conservative Reps. Jerry Lewis of Redlands and Devin Nunes of Visalia and moderate Rep. Mary Bono of Palm Springs. Giuliani, whose stance on abortion, gay rights, gun-control and immigration puts him at odds with the party's conservative base, also has won the support of key California conservatives in recent days. They include Bill Simon, a former Republican candidate for governor and longtime friend, and Steve Frank, publisher of...

WJZ) Baltimore, MD Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered a potential medical breakthrough that could help those who suffer from muscular dystrophy. WJZ's Kathryn Brown talked to doctors at Hopkins who are calling it one of the biggest breakthroughs ever when it comes to treating the devastating condition, which weakens ones muscles over the coarse of time. The potential new treatment is from a medicine now commonly used to treat high blood pressure. Marion and John Bailey know a lot about the disease, which has affected their son Stephen for years. That is why they are so excited about a...

REDLANDS Federal investigators probing Rep. Jerry Lewis' ties to lobbyists are looking into a land deal that put nearly 41 pristine acres in the congressman's neighborhood off-limits to developers, The Associated Press has learned. The land was given to the city of Redlands by Jack and Laura Dangermond, who have donated generously to Lewis. The Dangermonds founded and run a company Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc. of Redlands that has gotten tens of millions of dollars' worth of contracts through the powerful House Appropriations Committee that Lewis, a Republican, now chairs. One government contract came months after the land donation....

LAS VEGAS - Jerry Lewis' annual Labor Day telethon raised a record $61 million to fight muscular dystrophy, bolstered by a huge donation from a group of firefighters and the lack of a major hurricane before the show. "We did good," said Lewis, 80, looking choked up as the final figure, $61,013,855, flashed across the tote board Monday. "I can only thank you from the bottom of my heart for so many little people that can't thank you, can't show their appreciation in any way." Leading the contributors was the International Association of Fire Fighters, which donated a record $23.5...

For 40 years, comedian Jerry Lewis and his muscular dystrophy telethon have been as much a part of Labor Day weekend as the start of school and the symbolic end of summer. Now 80, and swallowing 25 pills a day for his sagging health, Lewis is approaching his curtain calls dogged by disabled activists who contend the show is designed to evoke pity rather than empower the disabled. Led by a former muscular dystrophy poster boy from Chicago, the activists scored what they call their "big triumph" last November as wheelchair-bound protesters ambushed Lewis in an appearance at the Harold...

Does anyone know where I can watch the Jerry Lewis Telethon online?

Saw this just breaking...Jerry Lewis will not host the annual MDA telethon for the first time ever due to a sudden illness...Ed McMahon will take his place as full time host this year. Lewis has battled a number of illnesses over the last 12 years but always managed to host the 21.5 hour show...even on oxygen. A taped opening filmed on August 31st on the Vegas strip with him stopping traffic with an orchestra at 2 am will still be shown but Lewis is too ill to do the show live.

Depending on your perspective, Letitia White is either the epitome of a Capitol Hill success story or a prime example of an unsettling mix of money, politics and public policy. White was a receptionist when she joined the staff of Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands. More than two decades later, she's an influential lobbyist whose connections to Lewis - now chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee - and others on the Hill have translated into millions of dollars for her and her firm. They also have made her part of a federal investigation into Lewis' ties to the lobbying firm where...

WASHINGTON The investigation stemming from the bribery conviction of former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., will continue well past the November midterm elections under a federal court schedule set Monday. The development came at a status hearing for defense contractor Mitchell Wade, who is cooperating with federal prosecutors after pleading guilty in February to bribing Cunningham in exchange for government contracts. U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina agreed to delay sentencing proceedings against Wade and set the next status hearing in his case for March 12. That will allow Wade's cooperation to continue in the investigation, which still has several unresolved...

Inland Rep. Jerry Lewis defended congressional earmarking Tuesday during a visit to Mt. San Jacinto Community College's nursing program in Menifee. A $1.49 million federal grant has helped expand the program at the Menifee campus and school officials thanked Lewis, R-Redlands, for his support. Colleges such as Mt. San Jacinto would suffer without the special-funding projects delivered by members of Congress, Lewis said. "One of our jobs is to help California and my district get as much of their money back as possible," Lewis said. Earmarks, which have increased more than threefold in the past decade, are special projects inserted...

For three months, news has spread about Rep. Jerry Lewis and the controversy linked to a federal inquiry into his ties to lobbyists and contractors. During that time, the prominent Redlands Republican has barely uttered a word about the investigation publicly. His staff issued a handful of news releases, and Lewis, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, gave a few brief telephone interviews. A staff member said in June that Lewis was too busy to discuss the federal investigation because of his congressional duties. But the staffer said Lewis' schedule would relax some after July 4th, and Lewis would...

The pay of a former staffer of Inland Rep. Jerry Lewis was cut less than a year before she took a job with a Washington lobbying firm, enabling her to avoid a rule prohibiting high-ranking congressional staff members from lobbying their old bosses or committees for one year, House records show. Letitia White worked as an assistant to Lewis, R-Redlands, on the House Appropriations Committee before leaving to take a job as lobbyist in 2003 with the firm then known as Copeland, Lowery, Jacquez, Denton & Shockey. Congressional staff members who earn 75 percent of a House member's salary are...

When then-Rep. Bill Lowery dropped his re-election bid in 1992, he was caught up in a House banking scandal and facing a tough opponent with an effective slogan: "A congressman we can be proud of." Fourteen years later, that opponent - ex-Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham - is in prison for taking bribes. And Lowery, now a lobbyist, is back in the spotlight. This time Lowery is at the center of a federal investigation that grew from the Cunningham probe to focus on a more powerful member of Congress - House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis, a good friend of Lowery's...

SAN DIEGO – The prosecutors who sent former U.S. Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham to jail for taking bribes now are focusing their attention on his friend Brent Wilkes, a San Diego defense contractor who won nearly $100 million in contracts in the past decade. Wilkes also has links to other corruption investigations. Cunningham was sentenced in March to more than eight years in prison after pleading guilty to taking $2.4 million in bribes – including payments for a 7,628-square-foot mansion, a Rolls-Royce and a 65-foot yacht – in return for funneling contracts to certain companies. Wilkes' lawyers have confirmed he...

The lobbying firm whose ties to Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, are under investigation announced Friday it is splitting into two groups. The three Republican named partners - including Lewis' friend and former California congressman Bill Lowery - will continue to lead the existing firm, while the two Democratic partners will form a separate partnership. A statement from Copeland, Lowery, Jacquez, Denton & White attributed the decision to "the current media focus on the firm." "All the partners remain focused on their client work, discussing issues on Capitol Hill, and working with regulatory agencies every single day," the statement said. "We...

Comedian Jerry Lewis postponed a July engagement to perform live after suffering a heart attack Sunday that a casino spokeswoman described as "mild." "At present, he is under hospital care and is expected to make a full recovery," said Candi Cazau, spokeswoman for the Orleans hotel-casino in Las Vegas, where Lewis was to perform July 13-16. Lewis, 80, is also suffering from "a touch of pneumonia," Cazau said in a statement. A call to Lewis' manager, Claudia Marghilano, was not returned Tuesday. Last week, a wise-cracking Lewis appeared healthy at a news conference in Las Vegas when he announced his...

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., under federal investigation over his ties to a lobbyist, has hired a high-profile legal team from a Los Angeles-based law firm. Lewis has denied wrongdoing and has said he has not been contacted by federal investigators in the probe, which became public last month and is being run by the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles. The team includes former Solicitor General Ted Olson; Robert Bonner, who once led the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles and was once head of Customs and Border Protection; Mel Levine, a former Democratic congressman from California;...

Inland Rep. Jerry Lewis has received more than $1 million in donations from lobbyists and current and past clients of a top Washington lobbying firm under investigation by federal authorities, an analysis of campaign-finance data shows. A federal grand jury issued subpoenas last month to Inland cities and counties asking them to turn over documents about their decision to hire the firm, billing statements and communications between local officials, Lewis and the lobbying firm Copeland, Lowery, Jacquez, Denton & White. Clients of Copeland Lowery have received millions of dollars in congressional earmarks -- the special projects lawmakers insert into federal...

Jerry Lewis is a man embattled. In nearly 40 years of public service, he has risen from humble roots on the school board of San Bernardino to become one of the most powerful members of the United States House of Representatives - chairman of the Appropriations Committee, which oversees nearly $900 billion in federal funding. He touts his successes in developing federal clean-air standards, crafting crime and drug legislation and securing emergency funding for disaster relief for California. Closer to home, he counts the establishment of a high-tech cancer center at Loma Linda University Medical Center, the expansion of Ontario...

SOME of the sharpest barbs at yesterday's Friars Club roast of Jerry Lewis were aimed at the proud nation of France, cheese-eating surrender monkeys have honored the 80-year-old Hollywood comic with their Legion of Honor. "We owe the French a lot," Stevie Stone told the crowd of 1,500 at the New York Hilton. "They gave us the Statue of Liberty. We gave them Jerry Lewis. At least people still pay to see the Statue of Liberty." Jeffrey Ross cracked, "The French don't even know they stink . . . It's a good thing you live in America, Jerry. If you...

Former defense contractor Tom Casey, who accused Rep. Jerry Lewis this week of trying to trade his influence for favors and stock options, is either a subject of the same federal investigation or should be, a former employee said Thursday. Meanwhile, the FBI has widened its probe of Lewis' ties to lobbyists Copeland Lowery Jacquez Denton & White to include Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona. At the same time federal prosecutors were issuing subpoenas in late May in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, the FBI sent a special agent from its Riverside office to retrieve records of Lewis and Calvert from...

LOS ANGELES (AP) The stepdaughter of Rep. Jerry Lewis received more than $42,000 from a political fundraising group headed by a defense contractor whose company received millions of dollars in contracts from a House committee chaired by Lewis, records show. Lewis' stepdaughter, Julia Willis-Leon, was given the money by the Small Biz Tech Political Action Committee led by Nicholas Karangelen, founder and president of Trident Systems Inc., according to campaign finance records. The company received at least $11.7 million in funding in defense spending bills considered by the House Appropriations Committee, headed by Lewis, records show. Payments were made to...

Congressman Jerry Lewis is at the center of a federal investigation into a lobbying giant in the nation's capital, but he's not keeping a low profile. "This is not a difficult time at all,'' Lewis said Saturday from his home in Redlands. "Since I haven't seen any of these subpoenas or had anybody contact me about them, I don't think I should comment. I have served this community for 40 years, and I expect to continue to do so.'' San Bernardino County, the city of Redlands, and Cal State San Bernardino are among local agencies and businesses that have confirmed...

The federal grand jury investigating the relationship between Rep. Jerry Lewis and a Washington lobbying firm has subpoenaed records from Riverside County and the Cal State San Bernardino Foundation, in addition to San Bernardino County and the city of Redlands, The Press-Enterprise confirmed Friday. Officials with the University of Redlands, Loma Linda University Medical Center and Redlands-based ESRI declined to say whether their organizations had been served. All are or have been clients of the lobbying firm Copeland, Lowery & Jacquez, which has been linked to former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham. The Rancho Santa Fe Republican pleaded guilty last year...

San Bernardino County, Calif., has been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury for records connected to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, and a lobbying firm with strong ties to Lewis, a county official said. The subpoena asked for all records of the county's correspondence with Lewis and his staff and with the lobbying firm, Copeland, Lowery, Jacquez, Denton, & White, which employs former California Republican congressman Bill Lowery, said San Bernardino County's chief deputy counsel, Daniel B. Haueter. Haueter said that the county, which hired Copeland, Lowery in 2002, was complying. Lewis represents portions of the inland Southern...

E-mail Author Author Archive Send to a Friend Version April 26, 2006, 11:22 a.m. Bridge to November The inability of a handful of House Republicans to stomach a long-overdue belt-tightening reform is threatening to prevent the House from passing a budget resolution for the first time since 1974. Fortunately for fiscal conservatives, a pork-laden spending bill has come along just in time to remind the public why this particular reform is so desperately needed. On Tuesday, President Bush threatened to veto an emergency spending bill for Iraq and Katrina if it exceeds $92.2 billion. Bush, who has yet to...

...During the pre-Easter Republican meltdown on Capitol Hill, when the party's leadership in both the Senate and House was repudiated on several issues, nothing was more embarrassing than the House failure to pass a budget bill. Everything was in place to pass budget reforms. But Lewis, the powerful chairman of the Appropriations Committee, pulled the plug. ... On April 6, before the House recessed, a budget containing spending reforms was agreed to by the new majority leader, John Boehner, and Rep. Mike Pence, head of the conservative Republican Study Committee. What's more, Rep. Mike Castle, leader of the House moderates,...

Congressional Republicans headed home today amid partisan charges that they can’t get anything done. It’s true to a certain extent. On immigration reform and the budget, the GOP failed miserably these past two weeks. The immigration fiasco is so disappointing for many reasons. One has to ask, Why can’t the Senate just adopt the House bill and worry about a guest-worker program after the borders are secure? The debate over the budget, however, is borderline absurd. The National Taxpayers Union yesterday unearthed a revealing e-mail message from the staff director of the House Appropriations Committee that shed light on the...

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Congressman Jerry Lewis (R-CA) is attempting to stop a deal that would give a state-owned Arab company control of six U.S. ports. Lewis is writing an amendment he wants to attach to a spending bill for the Iraq war and Gulf Coast relief. The emergency spending package designates $70-billion for Iraq and Afghanistan and $19.8-billion for hurricane relief. Lewis, who is chairman of the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Chairman, says, "I have heard from many of my constituents who have strong concerns about the possibility of foreign-owned companies managing U.S. ports. I have also heard...