Rangel To Face 13 Charges From Ethics Subcommittee

The House ethics subcommittee investigating Rep. Charles Rangel has unveiled 13 ethics charges, saying there is “substantial reason” to believe Rangel violated several House ethics laws and federal regulations. My colleague Robert Hune-Kalter has the full story…

-Rob Sanna

Senate Wants Answers On Mismarked Graves In Arlington National Cemetary

There may be as many as 6,600 mismarked graves in Arlington National Cemetary, according to Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.). A Senate investigation found that the management team at Arlington was largely unsupervised and operated under no oversight. Army Secretary John McHugh said solutions to the problem may include identifying remains by exhuming graves and allowing family members to identity caskets, or personal belongings in caskets. My colleague Philip Bunnell has more on this…

-Rob Sanna

Obama Calls For New Performance Measures For Teachers

President Obama took a swipe at teacher’s unions during a speech to members of the National Urban League this morning. Obama said installing new performance measures for teachers would produce more accountability, and make the nation’s education system a better one. Critics of Obama’s “Race to the Top” plan claim that pushing states to focus on education will take away from programs that need more attention in this economy. My colleague Benny Martinez will have more on the speech in just a bit…

-Rob Sanna

AZ Morgues Overloaded With Border Crossers

Pathologists and forensic investigators are experiencing an influx of unidentified remains in the deserts around Tuscon, AZ and the U.S-Mexico border, according to a new report. Officials say the recent increase is due to the combination of high heat levels and more aggressive border patroling, forcing immigrants to cross the border in more desolate areas…

-Rob Sanna

OMB Pick Lew Received $900,000 Bonus From Bailed-Out Bank

The Washington Times is reporting that Jack Lew, the State Department official recently tapped to replace Peter Orszag as Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director, received a $900,000 bonus from Citigroup Inc. after the conglomerate received nearly $45 billion in TARP funds.

Before stepping in as OMB Director, Lew requires Senate confirmation.