http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/nd-news/ en-us Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:15:56 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051154/posts Sweetheart mortgages given by Countrywide Financial, the nation’s biggest mortgage lender, to elected officials and government bureaucrats seem tailor-made for an ethics inquiry by Congress, especially as the country is seeing a rising tide of voter anger in this presidential election year due to the massive $300 bn bailout of the housing industry at taxpayers’ expense. The mortgages at issue were allegedly given to Congressional members and staffers championing this record bailout, a bailout that now surpasses the taxpayer cost of the S&L crisis in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. But Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Rep. Mark Souder... Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051154/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:15:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050856/posts Link only Air Force Times http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/07/airforce_nuclear_072408w/ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050856/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:38:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050821/posts WASHINGTON (AFP) — Members of a US Air Force nuclear missile crew face disciplinary action for going to sleep while in possession of an invalidated nuclear launch code component, the air force disclosed Thursday. The breach occurred July 12 at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, the scene of two other recent high profile lapses involving nuclear weapons or nuclear-related components, according to the spokesman. An investigation into the violation of procedures "concluded that no compromise of the classified material occurred," the air force said in a statement. AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050821/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:35:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045181/posts News Release April 10, 2008 Clarice Nassif Ransom 703-648-4299 cransom@usgs.gov David Ozman 720-244-4543 dozman@usgs.gov -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 to 4.3 Billion Barrels of Technically Recoverable Oil Assessed in North Dakota and Montana’s Bakken Formation—25 Times More Than 1995 Estimate— Reston, VA - North Dakota and Montana have an estimated 3.0 to 4.3 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil in an area known as the Bakken Formation. A U.S. Geological Survey assessment, released April 10, shows a 25-fold increase in the amount of oil that can be recovered compared to the agency's 1995 estimate of 151 million barrels of oil. Related Podcasts... U.S. Geological Survey http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045181/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:21:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043808/posts Will there be a MORTGAGE-GATE controversy in the 2008 election? Judicial Watch has filed a complaint against the sweetheart deal that Senator Obama Barack has received in terms of a mortgage. So has Senator Christopher Dodd, D-CT, who is chair of the Senate Banking Committee. One must ask the question are these two Democrats: are they Dumb, Dishonest, or both -- to have accepted these sweetheart mortgage deals for their personal life? Should the US Justice Department start investigating these politicians and others for such deals to receive favorable treatment in legislation now that the mortgage industry is in serious... Various http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043808/posts#comment Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043638/posts North Dakota is as safe a Republican state as any in Presidential elections. George W. Bush carried the state by twenty-seven points in Election 2004 and twenty-eight points four years earlier. The state has voted for a Democratic Presidential candidate just once since 1936 and three times since 1916. Despite that history, John McCain and Barack Obama are tied in the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of North Dakota voters. Both men earn 43% of the vote. When leaners are included, McCain holds a statistically insignificant one-point advantage, 47% to 46%. Last week, a Rasmussen Reports survey showed Obama with... Rasmussen Reports http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043638/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:49:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041446/posts John Bartelson, who smokes Marlboro Lights through fingers blackened with tractor grease, may look like an average wheat farmer. He isn't. He's one of North Dakota's new oil barons. Every month, he gets a check for tens of thousands of dollars from a company in Houston called EOG Resources Inc., which drilled two oil wells on his land last year. He says the day his first royalty check arrived was one to remember. "I smiled to beat hell, and I went to town and had a beer," Bartelson, 65, says. His new wealth springs from the Bakken formation, a sprawling... Redorbit.Com/Tribune-Review/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041446/posts#comment Sun, 6 Jul 2008 14:41:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037646/posts NEW YORK TIMES: "About that Mortgage, Senator . . ." It turns out that the chieftain of Countrywide -- which is smack in the middle of the mortgage mess -- extended privileged borrowing status to two Senators, Chris Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut, and Kent Conrad, Democrat of North Dakota. Both Senators deny any ethical violations.   The disclosure of the V.I.P. arrangments by the political website Politico.com left constituents angry and suspicious -- particularly because the revelations came just as Congress was rousing itself to do something about the mortgage foreclosure crisis.   It would be nice to think that... Instapundit.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037646/posts#comment Sat, 28 Jun 2008 04:40:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034472/posts The Countrywide sixBy John Bender web posted June 16, 2008The news that former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson was one of the sleaze bags who enriched themselves with sweat heart deals on mortgages from Countrywide Financial makes it a bipartisan scandal and eliminates the slim possibility that any of them will be brought to justice.  The ruling political class doesn't like to bring its members to justice. But if one political party can gain political advantage by going after a few members of the political class who happen to be in the other party, they will grab... ESR http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034472/posts#comment Sat, 21 Jun 2008 20:41:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033393/posts WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee on Thursday said Congress should examine Countrywide Financial Corp's mortgage loans to Democratic Sens. Christopher Dodd and Kent Conrad. "My view is that these allegations should be considered by the appropriate bodies, and I understand that the Senate Ethics Committee has already begun to look into the matter," Rep. Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat, said in a statement. Reuters on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033393/posts#comment Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:34:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033403/posts You must have seen or heard it. It's been repeated ad nauseum by Democrats on floors of both houses of Congress, before TV cameras and radio microphones and at recent campaign events. "We can't drill our way out of this." The donkey party's latest mantra has been hammered home by the usual suspects from Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to Barack Obama. Like most Democrat talking points, it's a falsehood. Yes we CAN drill our way out of this. Just the announcement of our intention to drill in any one of the Big Three Forbidden Zones (off the Continental Shelf,... RedState.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033403/posts#comment Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:49:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032691/posts -- snip -- The growing scandal surrounding the "friends of Angelo" loans (so-called by company employees, referring to Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo) should serve as a political wake-up call. Yet the Senate appears intent on pushing forward legislation, co-authored by Sen. Dodd, that would bail out the worst actors in the subprime mortgage banking industry.... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032691/posts#comment Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:44:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032175/posts Not making many headlines because the perps are Democrats, the sweetheart loan deals that former Obama Vice Presidential vetter Jim Johnson accepted from Countrywide Chairman Angelo Mozilo have ensnared two Democratic senators; Ken Conrad of North Dakota and former presidential candidate Chris Dodd of Connecticut. Conrad's approach was outrageous. Here's how the Wall Street Journal describes Conrad's dealings with Countrywide and Mozilo: Take Senator Kent Conrad, the North Dakota Democrat whose office issued a Friday statement saying that "I never met Angelo Mozilo." What he did not say then but admitted under later questioning by a Journal reporter is that,... American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032175/posts#comment Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:55:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031898/posts The loud "thud" you just heard over in the corner of the Senate hearing room was Senator Chris Dodd's vice presidential hopes hitting the wall. The Senator was the second major political figure caught up in and possibly brought down by various aspects of the mortgage mess in general and Countrywide Financial in particular. The Senator, a Democrat from Connecticut and Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee which regulates mortgage lending, was named in an article by Julie Hirschfeld Davis of the Associated Press and earlier by Conde Nast Portfolio magazine, as one of two senators – the other being... Mortgage Net Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031898/posts#comment Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:22:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031755/posts When it comes to charging abuse in markets like the mortgage business, American politicians, right up the ladder, should zip their lips. They're not ones to talk. That's becoming ever more painfully clear with reports like the one Thursday from Condé Nast Portfolio suggesting that several key pols got favored treatment on their personal mortgages. The lucky winners included folks like Sens. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Kent Conrad (D-ND), plus several former Cabinet secretaries: ex-Housing Secretary Alphonso Jackson; ex-Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala (who is to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom on Thursday) and ex-UN Ambassador and... NEW YORK POST http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031755/posts#comment Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:17:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031608/posts WASHINGTON (AFP) - Countrywide Financial, the largest mortgage lender at the center of the US housing crisis, regularly gave loans on favorable terms to prominent lawmakers and former cabinet members, according to US media. The preferential treatment for senators including Democrat Chris Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and a recent presidential candidate, was approved by Angelo Mozilo, chief executive of Countrywide Financial, the Washington Post reported on Saturday. CondeNast Portfolio magazine first broke the story on Wednesday, saying the recipients of the favorable terms were known as "Friends of Angelo" in internal company documents and e-mails. "Make an... AFP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031608/posts#comment Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:54:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031466/posts Dealings with Countrywide Financial Corp. are becoming a liability in political circles. Sen. Kent Conrad, a North Dakota Democrat, announced Saturday that he will donate $10,500 to Habitat for Humanity, a charity that builds homes for low-income people, to offset a discount he apparently received on a mortgage loan from Countrywide, an ailing lender that Bank of America Corp. plans to acquire. Sen. Conrad said a review of the $1.2 million loan he received in 2002 to buy a vacation home in Bethany Beach, Del., indicates that he received a discount of one percentage point on fees. The senator said... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031466/posts#comment Sun, 15 Jun 2008 17:26:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031199/posts WASHINGTON - Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad said Saturday he is donating $10,500 to charity and refinancing his loan on an apartment building after reviewing documents showing he received special treatment from Countrywide Financial Corp. Conrad said it appears that Countrywide waived 1 point on his mortgage for a Bethany Beach, Del., vacation home. He said he would donate the equivalent amount of money to Habitat for Humanity. "Although I did not ask for or know that I was receiving a discount, and even though I was offered a competitive loan from another lender, I do not want to... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031199/posts#comment Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:23:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031055/posts You're not going to believe this about Countrywide : "Senators Christopher Dodd, Democrat from Connecticut and chairman of the Banking Committee, and Kent Conrad, Democrat from North Dakota, chairman of the Budget Committee and a member of the Finance Committee, refinanced properties through Countrywide’s “V.I.P.” program in 2003 and 2004, according to company documents and emails and a former employee familiar with the loans. Other participants in the V.I.P. program included former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson, former Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, and former U.N. ambassador and assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke.... The Market Ticker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031055/posts#comment Sat, 14 Jun 2008 14:11:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030923/posts When Senator Kent Conrad wanted a mortgage for his beach house,he turned to a Washington insider, Johnson, former head of Fannie Mae, the government mortgage giant, who then put the senator in touch with Angelo Mozilo, chief executive of the mortgage lender Countrywide Financial. The ensuing telephone call between Mr. Conrad of North Dakota and Mr. Mozilo led to two Countrywide mortgages, including one in which the company bent its rules to give Mr. Conrad a loan. Those loans are among a number of Countrywide mortgages at the center of an examination into whether a number of top politicians in... The New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030923/posts#comment Sat, 14 Jun 2008 02:54:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030868/posts WASHINGTON - Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd, a leader of Congress' efforts to help homeowners ensnared in the subprime mortgage meltdown, reportedly got special treatment on his own mortgages from the CEO of Countrywide Financial Corp., a company whose practices he has called "abusive."At least one other lawmaker, Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., also benefited from the VIP treatment after placing a personal call to Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo seeking a mortgage.Both senators say they weren't aware they were getting special deals.Still, their involvement in a special program that awarded discounts and waived fees for "friends" of Mozilo —... Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030868/posts#comment Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:14:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030779/posts WASHINGTON - Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd reportedly received two mortgages under a special Countrywide Financial Corp. program that gave preferential interest rates to "friends" of the company's chairman. A spokesman for Dodd, D-Conn., said Friday that the senator did not seek any special treatment. MSNBC/AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030779/posts#comment Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:13:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030447/posts Two influential US senators got "VIP" loans from a subprime mortgage lender saving them tens of thousands of dollars. Democrats, Chris Dodd, Connecticut and Kent Conrad of NDakota, received highly favorable loans under "Friend of Angelo," a reference to embattled Countrywide head Angelo Mozilo, Condé Nast Portfolio reported. Dodd chairs the Senate Banking Committee; Conrad chairs the Budget Committee and is a member of the Finance Committee. Others who received "FOA" loans include Alphonso Jackson, HUD Secy under Pres Bush ( resigned in April), and Donna Shalala, Clinton's HHS secretary. The report came one day after Democratic heavyweight Jim Johnson... NY POST http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030447/posts#comment Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:21:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030315/posts SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 731 PM CDT THU JUN 12 2008 CASS MN- 731 PM CDT THU JUN 12 2008 ...A tornado warning remains in effect until 8:00 p.m. CDT for Northern Cass County... AT 727 PM CDT...National Weather Service Doppler Radar continued to indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado. This possible tornado was located near Walker... or 12 miles West of Leech Lake moving Northeast at 33 MPH. This possible tornado will be near... 7 miles Southeast of Steamboat Lake by 735 PM... Crooked Lake and 6 miles Southeast of Wilkinson by... NOAA National Weather Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030315/posts#comment Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:19:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028809/posts The recent spike in oil prices and unemployment is dramatically changing this presidential campaign -- virtually overnight. The near $20 jump in oil to $140 a barrel, the unexpected half-point increase in the jobless rate to 5.5 percent (the biggest monthly increase in twenty years), and the resulting 400-point plunge in stocks has created a new campaign issue right before our eyes. Public worry number one is now oil, jobs, and the economy, with the inflationary woes of the U.S. dollar right underneath. The candidate who can connect with these issues will win in November. But so far neither Obama... RealClearPolitics http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028809/posts#comment Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:34:30 GMT