SPB News for Wednesday

Thomas Perez Confirmed To Head DOJ's Civil Rights Division

Ensign: I 'Absolutely Did Nothing' That Violated Ethics Rules

Rush Limbaugh In Bid For St. Louis Rams

Switzerland Denies Roman Polanski Release On Bail

Bill Allowing Same-Sex Marriage In DC Introduced

Bill Clinton Officially Endorses Gavin Newsom

McDonald's to open eatery in Louvre

Sen. Ensign 'definitely not' stepping down over ethics claims

Bush blocked housing crisis intervention

GOPer Mike Castle To Run For Joe Biden's Senate Seat
In a very positive development for national Republicans, Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) is be running for Senate in 2010, in the November special election for Vice President Joe Biden's former Senate seat.

Anti-Grayson Fundraising Going Slow For GOP?
In the wake of Rep. Alan Grayson's (D-FL) attacks against the Republicans, money began flowing in from liberals who appreciated his no-holds-barred tirades against the opposition. The Republicans also tried raising money off Grayson's comments -- but may not be raking in.

DHS Unveils 'Recognizing 8 Signs of Terrorism' Video new video funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is letting Americans know what kinds of activities might be a sign of terrorist activity in the making. The 8-minute video, "Recognizing 8 Signs of Terrorism" outlines some of the things potential terrorists might be doing, and lets citizens know where to report the suspicious activities. The video will be shown at the Center for Empowered Living & Learning (CELL), an institution dedicated to addressing the global threat of terrorism, with a museum facility (called Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere: Understanding the Threat) in in Denver.

Tough to meet Guantanamo closing deadline: Holder U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said on Tuesday that it would be tough to meet the fast-approaching [?] January deadline to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that houses terrorism suspects. President Barack Obama ordered the controversial detention camp closed on his second day in office and gave administration officials a year to do it, but they have since run into numerous legal, political and diplomatic hurdles.

Congress passes aid package for Pakistan worth $1.5 B a year for five years --Pakistan seeks long U.S. commitment [I'm sure they do. The US gives the best bl*wjob$.] 06 Oct 2009 Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi met with U.S. Secretary Hillary Clinton and urged the United States to articulate a long-term vision for the region, amid debate over U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. When asked how long he thought the U.S. should stay in Afghanistan, Qureshi said "until the job is done. A peaceful, stable Afghanistan. A peaceful, stable region." Congress just passed an aid package for Pakistan worth $1.5 billion a year for the next five years to help 'combat' extremism and foster social and economic development.

Montana city's jail deal delayed amid controversy Plans for a California company to take over this city's empty jail were put on hold Monday, following last week's revelations that the company's lead figure has a criminal history. The decision came as Hardin's leaders announced the resignation of both the attorney and the economic development official who helped craft the jail deal for the city. Last month, the city struck an agreement with Mike Hilton and his newly minted Santa Ana, Calif.-company, American Police Force.

Interior Sends Polar Bear Habitat Designation to White House The Interior Department moved closer to establishing habitat protections for the polar bear yesterday by sending its proposed rule to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review. The habitat protections will add another layer in what has become a complicated process for protecting the bear, fraught with concerns and legal complaints from environmentalists and industry groups. The Bush administration listed the polar bear as a threatened species last year because of its melting ice habitat.