Tough Days Ahead For Rep. Rangel

Yesterday, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) was charged with ethics violations and now faces a public trial that could result in his expulsion from the House after 40 years in office. The House Ethics Committee has not released details on the charges against Rangel. According to a New York Post article, the long list of accusations includes an alleged failure to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets and income on the financial-disclosure forms he has filed with Congress each year. 

The trial is scheduled to start next Thursday. For more on the story click here.

By Sarah Mamula

Defense Spending Under Scrutiny

With the government’s $13 trillion debt, budget cuts in defense are being heavily debated on Capitol Hill. Despite opposition from Congress members looking to protect jobs, Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants to cut weapons programs he deems unnecessary.

“Military spending on things large and small can and should expect closer, harsher scrutiny,” Mr. Gates said. 

By Sarah Mamula

Bernanke: Unwise To Stop Stimulus, Economy Still Quite Weak

By Brandon Kosters - Talk Radio News

Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, said today that the deficit is a “two-pronged element” in the U.S. fiscal policy. He said it is necessary in the short term, given the state of the economy, but efforts to reduce the deficit will need to be made eventually.

“Maintaining the current level of fiscal support is important because the economy is still quite weak,” Bernanke said. “At the same time, in the median and longer term, we have an unsustainable fiscal trajectory and we need to address that in order to maintain the confidence of the public and the markets.”

Is Your Alfafa Too Organic? Ban Lifted on Roundup-Ready Alfafa

The Supreme Court has lifted a ban on biotech alfafa. Environmental groups and organic farmers sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture stating that the agency’s decision to grant deregulated status to Roundup Ready alfalfa violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Lower courts enjoined almost all planting and sale of Roundup-Ready alfalfa.

The Supreme Court found that the district court overstepped its boundaries by believing the only course of action was a complete injunction against biotech alfafa.

“The District Court abused its discretion in enjoining APHIS [Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service] from effecting a partial deregulation and in prohibiting the possibility of planting in accordance with the terms of such a deregulation,” concluded the court.

By Robert Hune-Kalter