U.S. Government

At Least 11 Members of Congress Now Under Investigation

While Congress has been busy dealing with issues such as the Iraq War, the U.S. attorney firings controversy, and the federal minimum wage this year, some members have had their attention diverted by legal problems. By our count, eleven members of Congress (and ten former members who departed with the 109th Congress) are currently the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation. Over the past few weeks, new details have emerged in several of these cases. Here’s a quick rundown of the latest info (with the appropriate background):

Tampa Testimony Against Media Consolidation, for Media "Convergence"

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

On April 30, "the Federal Communications Commission was in Tampa to hear from opponents and advocates of media consolidation," reports Pat Walters. "Since June, the FCC has been reviewing several planned changes to the rules governing media ownership.

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Main Source: 
Poynter Online, May 1, 2007
Topics: 
Video News Releases
Corporations
Democracy
Fake TV News
Media
Race / Ethnic Issues
U.S. Government

Wonks and Citizen Journalists Collaborate: New Articles From Organizations on Congresspedia

The Congresspedia staff has recently been quietly working with a number of research and advocacy organizations to build more articles on federal legislation and policy. Today we're publicly unveiling the first of these articles: a page on U.S. federal oil and gas royalties that we worked on with the Project on Government Oversight. Beth Daley, POGO's Director of Investigations (and now SourceWatch/Congresspedia user "Bethdaley") explains why POGO thinks this topic is important:

House and Senate Face Active Committee Hearing Schedule

Both the House and Senate are in session this week, with each expected to consider numerous bills and resolutions. The House is planning to vote on a measure reauthorizing the federal Head Start program, while both the House and Senate may be forced to attempt to override President Bush’s veto of a supplemental spending bill which would call for a phased withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq.

Government Contractors: Not Your Average Corporate Evildoers

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

"Fearing increased oversight from the newly elected Democratic-controlled Congress, the Coalition for Government Procurement (CGP), a trade group representing government product and service suppliers, is planning a PR and marketing campaign to promote its members as responsible companies and not stereotypical 'corporate evildoers,'" reports Ted McKenna. The CGP is also forming a new group, the Council on Responsible Contracting (CORC).

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Main Source: 
PR Week, April 20, 2007
Topics: 
U.S. Congress
Corporations
Ethics
Public Relations
U.S. Government

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