News

Bloomberg: Obama's New Financial Plan

Per Bloomberg today:

Sen. Cochran: Mississippi ‘Suffers' If Earmarks Cut

The Clarion-Ledger buried the lead on their meeting with Sen. Thad Cochran today, reporting the, er, "news" that Cochran would support a fellow Republican as president and burying the juicy stuff at the bottom of the very shallow piece:

CQ: McCain Campaign ‘Dead Wrong' About Ayers-Obama

With the state of the nation, it's sad that we all have to spend time factchecking McCain-Palin lies, but here goes, thanks to CQ Politics:

172,787 Voters Registered in Mississippi Since January

Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann just released the number of new voters who have registered in Mississippi since the beginning of the year: 172,787, which means that current registered voters here as of today are: 1,873,740. Hosemann said in a statement: "We are pleased with the large turnout of voter registrations for the 2008 General Election," says Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann.Â "We would like to continue to encourage every eligible voter in Mississippi to make sure you cast your ballot on Tuesday, November 4th in the General Election.

Lose Your Home, Lose Your Vote?

[Verbatim] Today the voting rights group Project Vote sent letters to both major political parties in 10 statesAZ, CO, FL, GA, MO, NC, NM, NV, PA, and VAurging them to "oppose and refrain from" using lists of home foreclosures as the basis for "voter caging" operations. Project Vote also sent letters to secretaries of state in each of these states, outlining existing state and federal legal protections for voters, and urging election officials to "take all lawful steps" to protect foreclosure victims and other Americans from being disenfranchised based solely on returned mail or residency challenges.

The Man Who Started the False Obama ‘Muslim' Rumors

The New York Times has a story about the guy who started the false rumors that Barack Obama is a Muslim:

St. Louis Daily Endorses Obama ... with Style

Perhaps egged on by the hate week that John McCain and Sarah Palin just put the country through, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch decided not to wait to publish its endorsement of Barack Obama. It's beautifully and thoughtfully written:

BREAKING: ‘Troopergate' Report Finds Palin Abused Power

The Anchorage Daily News just posted a PDF of the full report on Gov. Sarah Palin's "Troopergate" investigation. Read it here. The report says that the investigation found that Palin "abused her power" by engaging in "unethical conduct" (see page 48 of report for reasoning). The investigator also found that she fired Walt Monegan under her authority, although his refusal to fire Mike Wooten was likely part of the reason she fired him. On page 67, the investigator concludes that her claims of fear of Wooten were "not bona fide."

Millsaps Scholar-Athletes Have Highest 5-Year Graduation Rate

[Verbatim] JACKSON, Miss.Millsaps scholar-athletes have once again proved they have what it takes to win both on the field and in the classroom. Millsaps College recently won the David M. Halbrook Award for having the highest percentage of graduating athletes for the five-year period, 2003-04 to 2007-08, with a 98 percent graduation rate in the Independent College Division. The award was presented during the 75th Annual Mississippi Association of Colleges and Universities Conference.

Barack the Vote on Facebook

FACEBOOK MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED RIGHT NOW:

This week we launched our innovative Get Out The Vote campaign which focuses on each of us getting the people we know to vote for Obama by Election Day. Today, we're making it even easier to reach out to friends using the nation's most popular social networking site: Facebook.

Who Are ‘Generation We'?

Well, it's the "millennials," and this new book and Web site will tell you about it:

10/10 DOW down ‘Only' 128 Points. Are We in a ‘Panic'?

Intraday, the Dow was off over 700 points in early trading, spending part of the day below 7900 for the first time since April of 2003. Businessweek makes the case that these past two weeks might well be called the "Panic of 2008," reviving a term from years past that might just fit the way the market is behaving.

Obama ‘Pulling Away'; Leads Men, Women, Every Age Group, Even Over-65

Newsweek's new numbers are in, and show why the McCain campaign is acting so erratic and desperate:

Barbour Calls for ‘Conservative Spending' Due to Crisis

[Verbatim statement] (JACKSON, Mississippi) Governor Haley Barbour asked legislators and state agency directors to find ways to cut spending this year and in Fiscal Year 2010 as a result of lower tax collections during the current economic crisis. "Just as Mississippi families and businesses are revising their budgets and looking for ways to save money, we in state government must tighten our belts, too," Governor Haley Barbour said. "High fuel costs and lower-than-expected tax collections mean we must further control our spending.

Connecticut High Court Throws Out Gay Marriage Ban

In a 4-3 opinion, the Connecticut Supreme Court threw out that state's gay marriage ban today, making Connecticut the third state in the country that will recognize same-sex marriages. Connecticut already had a same-sex civil unions law, but the state's Supreme Court today ruled that the state could not show sufficient evidence why all marriage rights shouldn't be conferred on same-sex couples.

Gen. Petraeus: ‘You Have to Talk to Enemies'

Gen. Petraeus agrees with Barack Obama:

Bobby Kennedy Jr.: Media Must Cover Palin's Radical Ties

Kennedy complained today that the media, such as The New York Times, have not done front-page stories on Sarah Palin's close ties to the un-American Alaska Independence Party in the same way that they are covering Barack Obama's acquaintance, Bill Ayers:

10/9: Markets Down 7 Percent…Again

The Dow lost 678 points to close down 7.33 percent and under 8,600, while the NASDAQ lost 5.47 percent and ended down below 1,650. The markets experienced their seventh straight day of losses, closing at their lowest levels since 2003. While the Bush administration announced that it may take over some banks to stem the crisis and open up credit markets, the move didn't appear to change attitudes on Wall Street.

UPDATED: Melton Denies Former Bodyguard's Allegations

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton addressed reporters Thursday morning condemning the testimony of his former bodyguard Marcus Wright. Melton's statement prompted Judge Daniel Jordan to issue a gag order on the mayor's upcoming civil rights trial. Wright pled guilty to misdemeanor conspiracy in U.S. District Court Tuesday, but further implicated Melton with his statements. Witnesses say Melton, Wright and Melton's other bodyguard, Michael Recio, participated in the illegal demolition of a duplex on Ridgeway Street in August 2006.

Busing Bush's Legacy

The National Legacy Bus Tour came to Jackson Wednesday, sarcastically touting what it considered President George Bush's stellar record on economic and environmental issues, the war in Iraq and other hot topics.

Millsaps Named a 'College of Distinction'

[verbatim release] JACKSON, Miss.Millsaps College is the only college or university in the state named to the 2008-2009 Colleges of Distinction guidebook based on the college's dedication to four key areasengaged students both outside and inside the classroom, great teaching by expert professors, a vibrant community both on and off campus and successful, productive graduates.

Attacking ACORN: A New Blame in Town

Conservatives have a new scapegoat to take the blame for the economic meltdown over the last few weeks. Syndicated columnist and supply-side advocate Lawrence Kudrow summed it up during a Sept. 18 morning news talk show.

Keeping The Gloves Off

In their first and only debate, Senate candidates Roger Wicker and Ronnie Musgrove maintained in person the negative tone that has characterized much of the advertising for both of their campaigns.

Oakley Still Hurting Children

Students may no longer have to eat their own vomit at Oakley Training School, but the Department of Justice's eighth quarterly monitors' report shows that the school still has a very long way to go.

Ruby Dixon

A typical conversation with Ruby Dixon in the halls of Lanier high school might go something like this: "Hey Ruby! Coming to choir practice today?"

Eyes On The Machine: Jackson Teens Cover The Media

At the Media Literacy Project's June 7 orientation, project associates began discussing what would be their research.

CNN: Obama Wins Debate 56-30 Over McCain

With three debates down, it would seem that Barack Oback and Joe Biden are working on a sweep. In addition, the CNN polls showed 59 percenet said Obama would handle the economy better over 37 percent for McCain. And Obama has passed McCain on both likeability and leadership polls.

Markets Tumble Another 5 Percent

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke signaled an interest rate cut and acknowledged long-term challenges to the state of the economy, but it couldn't keep the Dow from losing another 5 percent, the NASDAQ nearly 6 percent and many bank stocks from taking a huge hit. The markets have experienced their worst five-day point drop ever, with the Dow losing nearly 12 percent of its value.

Second Presidential Debate - Open Thread

Talk among yourselves.

Who Will Be Jackson's Next Mayor?

As national politics swirl, and the news that one of Frank Melton's bodyguards is turning on him comes in, thoughts are turning to the mayoral race ahead in Jackson. What are your thoughts? Who do you want? Go for it.

Ellington