News

Michigan's Secretary of State hit Rep. Mark Schauer (D-Mich.) Tuesday with the largest fine for a campaign finance violation in the state's history, for violations occurring while he was a state legislator.

Schauer, a former state senator, will pay almost $210,000 in fines for having violated limits on campaign contributions when donating funds to the state fund for Democratic candidates for the state Senate, as well as donating more than was allowed to an individual state Senate candidate.

Michigan state law limits donations to $20,000 per year to state Democratic caucuses. The complaints against Schauer were brought by the then-state Senate Majority Leader, a Republican.

"Michigan's campaign finance laws serve the public by illuminating the political contribution process," Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land said in a statement. "These fines will reassure all voters that their interests are being protected. They also send a clear message that no one is above the law."

Land is one of several Republican candidates for governor of the Wolverine State in 2010. Her office was responsible for coming to an agreement with Schauer and the campaign committees on the penalties.

You've probably already had lunch, but here's a subtle dose of irony for dessert. And some more choice offerings:

• The Supreme Court upholds gun restrictions for domestic abuser. Reid Wilson has the story.


• Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), chairman of the House Republican Conference, who has guest-hosted Laura Ingraham's conservative radio talk show, seeks to block the Fairness Doctrine. Jeremy P. Jacobs has the story.


• Pork critic goes after earmarks in wake of PMA lobbying scandal.


• Senate advances the D.C. Voting Rights Act, and Ron Christie comments on the Pundits Blog.


• Two points of view on the cross case before the Supreme Court: American Center for Law and Justice Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State face off.
  

The House of Representatives passed the "Captive Primate Safety Act" Tuesday, banning the interstate commerce of selling primates as pets.

The House voted 323-95 to pass the measure after a renewed effort to pass the bill following the mauling of a Connecticut woman by her pet chimpanzee. A similar measure had passed the House but stalled in the Senate during the 110th Congress.

This time around, the legislation has already drawn sponsorship from Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and David Vitter (R-La.).

"It is inhumane to cage primates in private homes," said Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), one of the lead sponsors of the legislation in the House. "Besides the animal cruelty concerns, the interstate movement of pet primates creates serious public health and safety risks."

"The passage of this bill is long overdue," added Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), another lead sponsor. "I salute The Humane Society of the United States and animal welfare advocates for their consistent dedication and I am pleased that together we were able to pass this bill.

Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) said Tuesday that he has no complaints about his decision to challenge Democrat Al Franken's 225-vote lead in the state's Senate race.

"I'm a person of great faith. I've got a great family. My life is good, I've got no complaints," Coleman said during an appearance on the conservative pundit Armstrong Williams's radio show. "You can't wring your hands, you can't lament...I believe we're trying to do the right thing here."

Coleman continued his media blitz in conservative outlets, telling listeners the economic and political situation is "as critical as ever," and saying he would have voted against the stimulus package.

"I would've voted against this bill, though I would have been involved in the conversation to find some common ground," Coleman added. "The world's changed in terms of what's the role of government. The idea of simply saying the market's going to solve our problems -- I don't think that's the reality, either."

Listen to the whole interview here.

Americans either favor or oppose a significant government intervention in the nation's banks, depending on how it is phrased, a new Gallup poll suggests.

The poll, conducted Feb. 20 through Feb. 22, found that respondents don't like the idea of "temporarily nationalizing" the country's banks but do support "temporarily taking over" banks.



This probably explains why the Obama administration has avoided the word "nationalization" at all costs thus far in discussing its plans for the banks. Gallup writes: "Taken together, these results reflect the power of language when it comes to describing government policies: the words 'taking over' are significantly more palatable to the average American than 'nationalizing.'"

There was a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points in the poll.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The airline pilot whose landing in the Hudson River last month, saving the lives of his passengers, is on Capitol Hill today meeting with lawmakers.

Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger will testify before a House subcommittee handling aviation today, and has met with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) this morning.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is set to have a photo opportunity with Sullenberger this afternoon, and will have him as her guest at tonight's speech by the president to a joint-session of Congress.

Now this is an event you don't want to miss. The "Friends of Scotland Caucus" of the Senate will be holding a reception Tuesday evening with Sean Connery.

The former James Bond actor will be joined by the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmon, at the 6 o'clock reception at the Library of Congress.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Former President Bill Clinton said that though he believes the Obama administration does not want to nationalize the banks, the U.S. economy will be fine, even if the administration should have to resort to such a measure.

"It's clear that the Treasury Department and the White House don't want to nationalize the banks," Clinton told CNBC's Betsy Quick in an interview aired in portions this morning. "They apparently believe that if the banks are nationalized they will be worthless to the investor, and therefore, they're getting out now."

"I take the administration at its word: they are doing everything they can to avoid having to do a takeover of the very largest banks," he said. "The point I want to make to everybody is: whatever happens, we'll probably be alright, as long as we deal with it this year."

Clinton praised the Obama administration's plan as thoughtful and pragmatic, and also touted the work of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Chairwoman Sheila Bair.

Clinton emphasized that the method the administration adopts to assist the banks is not as important as the administration taking decisive action to help the economy this year.

"Nobody thinks the federal government will be the banker of America in the long run," the former president and husband of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton added.

Access videos of the Clinton interviews here.

State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D) nabbed another union's endorsement in her bid to win next week's special election primary in Illinois's 5th congressional district.

The United Steelworkers endorsed Feigenholtz Tuesday, a day after the state legislator was backed by the United Auto Workers on Monday.

"Sara

The hosts of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, got a behind the scenes tour of the White House press operation this morning.

Check out the video below. Note Scarborough's plug for newly appointed NBC White House Correspondent Chuck Todd. "How problematic is it having Chuck Todd in here?" he asks.