SPB News for Wednesday

Conservative Backlash Against Party-Switching Griffith Begins

Army Backs Off Court-Martials-For-Pregnancies Policy

Report: Ex-RNC Chair Slams Steele Over Speaking Fees

Obama Urges Small U.S. Banks To Lend, Eyes Red Tape

Teresa Heinz Battling Breast Cancer

Prince William slept on street

British sire's stunt raises awareness of London's homeless community.

Brazil judge finds for NJ father

Man whose wife took son to Brazil wins custody of the boy over extended family

FBI releases part of King of Pop's files

CIGNA CEO's $73M golden parachute

Obama lists financial rescue as ‘most important thing’ of his first year — President Obama outlined Tuesday a first-year legislative record that he said rescued the economy and placed it on a path of long-term growth, even as he acknowledged that some unfinished items would probably …

Lithuania 'hosted at least two secret CIA prisons' A Lithuanian inquiry has found that the US Central Intelligence Agency set up and used secret prisons on its soil following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the US. Lithuania's intelligence agency assisted the CIA-run secret prisons, which were used to hold at least eight 'al-Qaeda' suspects, the parliamentary panel in charge of the probe said in a report on Tuesday. The National Security Committee report records instances in 2005 and 2006 when chartered planes were allowed to land in Lithuania, adding that all the Lithuanian officials, including President Dalia Grybauskaite, were kept in the dark about the aircraft's passengers.

Iran identifies 80 subversive foreign institutes Iranian Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi says dozens of foreign organizations that attempted to create havoc in the Islamic Republic have been identified. "During the seditious efforts, various NGOs were used. To date, 80 foreign institutes, foundations, and funds that are active in this process have been identified," the Fars news agency quoted Moslehi as saying on Tuesday. He noted that the leaders of the sedition effort tried to propagate the idea that Iran's 2009 presidential election was rigged in order to encourage acts of civil disobedience.

Banks with political ties got bailouts, study shows --Lobbying, political expenses coincided with bailouts U.S. banks that spent more money on lobbying were more likely to get government bailout money, according to a study released on Monday. Banks whose executives served on Federal Reserve boards were more likely to receive government bailout funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, according to the study from Ran Duchin and Denis Sosyura, professors at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.

Goldman May Move 20% of UK Staff to Spain --Goldman Sachs warns UK Treasury it may transfer 20% of its 5,000 London staff to Spain in protest over UK tax and bonuses Goldman Sachs (GS) has threatened the UK Treasury with plans to move up to 20 per cent of its London-based staff to Spain in a standoff over tax and bonuses. It's believed that the Wall Street investment bank... has fired a warning shot across the Government's bows in response to the tax measures unveiled in the pre-Budget report earlier this month.

Six accused in Mass. mortgage scam Three real estate investors, two mortgage brokers and a former attorney were indicted in an alleged mortgage fraud scheme involving $12.5 million in loans and at least 26 distressed properties in the Boston area, the state attorney general's office said today. In indictments returned by a Suffolk County grand jury, the six defendants face multiple counts of larceny and other charges related to a scheme that prosecutors allege gained them about $2 million in profits.

Ex-RNC chiefs rip Steele speaking fees --Party chairman pimping himself at $8,000 to $20,000 a pop Michael S. Steele, Republican National Committee chairman, is using his title to market himself for paid appearances nationwide, personally profiting from speeches with fees of up to $20,000 at colleges, trade associations and other groups - an unusual practice criticized by a string of past party chairmen. Mr. Steele, elected in January to the $223,500-a-year RNC post, is working with at least four outside agencies in Washington, New York, Boston and Nashville, Tenn., that book the speaking engagements. He charges between $8,000 and $20,000 for an address, plus first-class travel and lodging expenses.