Busted Again: Charlie Rangel Fails to Report $200k in Political Donations

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Photo Credit: The Gateway Pundit

Photo Credit: The Gateway Pundit

Tax cheat and crook Charlie Rangel is back in the news again for not disclosing funds. In 2010, Rangel lost his chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee because of an investigation into 2 corporate-funded trips to the Caribbean. Later that year, the House of Representatives formally censured him after he was found guilty of 11 ethics violations. Violations included failure to disclose over $600,000 in assets on a financial disclosure report as well as short changing the IRS for 17 years on rental income from his villa in the Dominican Republic. He also raided his PAC for $393,000 to pay legal fees.

Now, Rangel and New York City Councilwoman Inez Dickens are in the hot seat for not disclosing $200,000 in funds for their Harlem political club they have had since 1999.

NY Post reported:

A Harlem political club, which benefits from taxpayer money and boasts Rep. Charles Rangel and Councilwoman Inez Dickens as district leaders, has received more than $200,000 in donations since 1999 but didn’t report the income or even register with the state, officials said.

Dickens also happens to be the Martin Luther King Jr. Democratic Club’s landlord, collecting monthly rent.

Read more from this story HERE.

WSJ: Former U.S. Secretary Lawrance Summers Withdraws Name for Federal Reserve Chairman Position

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Photo Credit:Getty Images

Photo Credit:Getty Images

According to the Wall Street Journal, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers has withdrawn his name from consideration as Federal Reserve chairman and has called President Obama on the matter, citing an expected “acrimonious” coming confirmation battle.

The White House disputed a Japanese newspaper’s report that Summers will be named the next chairman of the Federal Reserve by President Obama, according to USA Today.

More from USA Today:

The Nikkei newspaper, which did not publicly name its sourcing for its story, said Obama was “set to” name Summers to the position, possibly as early as next week.

White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage said in a tweet Friday that “the latest rumors this morning in the Japanese press aren’t true” and that Obama “has not yet made a decision on Fed Chair.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Audit Finds IRS Employees Don’t Follow Their Own Rules

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Photo Credit: Daily Caller

Photo Credit: Daily Caller

The Internal Revenue Service does not always follow its own rules when attempting to collect unpaid taxes, according to a new audit.

A review of the IRS Office of Appeals, which resolves disputes between the agency and taxpayers, found officials did not always follow proper procedures when dealing with taxpayers or their legally designated representatives. Under the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, agents in the office are required to stop taking action against taxpayers if the taxpayer asks to consult with a representative – a financial assistant or the like.

It’s similar to how a suspect can request a lawyer before answering questions from police.

From that point forward, any action taken by the IRS is supposed to include the taxpayers’ official representative. But many times it does not.

In 11 of the 96 cases audited by theTreasury Inspector General, IRS employees violated those rules in one way or another – usually by contacting the taxpayer directly without going through the official legal channels.

Read more from this story HERE.

Brain-Eating Amoeba Discovered in Louisiana Plumbing System

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

An investigation is underway to determine how a rare brain-eating amoeba found its way into a plumbing system of a home in Louisiana, according to the Center for Disease Control.

A four-year-old boy from Mississippi became the fourth confirmed infection in 2013 of the amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, last week, after playing in water from the home in St. Barnard Parish, La.

The Department of Health and Hospitals in Louisiana has confirmed that the amoeba was found in the home’s plumbing system.

In previous cases, the CDC has linked the infections to warm water and drought conditions.

“When we go back and look at where exposure may have occurred, we see the infections occur where water levels are low or where there are drought conditions or after a heat wave,” Dr. Jennifer Cope, medical epidemiologist at the CDC, told AccuWeather.com.

Read more from this story HERE.

Biden has Tongues Wagging Over 2016 Race with Visit to Iowa

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Photo Credit: Reuters

Photo Credit: Reuters

With most Democrats keeping an eye on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for hints about her 2016 plans, Vice President Joe Biden’s appearance at Iowa’s 36th annual “Tom Harkin Steak Fry,” may one day be viewed as a telling sign of his presidential intentions.

The Democratic fund-raiser named for the veteran senator from Iowa is closely watched in this Midwestern state, which helps winnow out the crop of presidential contenders every four years leading up to the Iowa caucuses, the first voting event of each presidential cycle.

Addressing the crowd at the Warren County Fairgrounds, Biden mentioned 2016 in a sideways fashion, making light of the national media presence that showed up for the event.

“It’s amazing when you come to speak at the Steak Fry a whole bunch of people seem to take notice. I don’t know why the hell that is,” Biden said.

The 70-year-old Biden has left open the possibility of a run for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination in order to get a chance to succeed President Barack Obama.

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Feds: FBI Tailed Top Terror Recruiter Al to Pentagon

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Picture al-AwlakiThe federal government has released documents that show Anwar al-Awlaki, the former Denver resident and onetime al-Qaida leader who was killed in 2011 in a U.S. missile strike in Yemen ordered by President Obama, was followed by the FBI to the doors of the Pentagon, where he was an invited guest.

WND reported earlier this year that Judicial Watch, the government watchdog agency that investigates and reports on government corruption, found FBI authorities knew Awlaki was linked to several 9/11 hijackers weeks before he was invited to lunch at the Pentagon in an “outreach” to Muslims.

At the time, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said the more “we learn about Anwar al-Awlaki, the more questions arise not only about his activities before and after 9/11, but also about the al-Qaida operational and support network still active in the United States.”

“It is now even more concerning that Awlaki was invited to the Pentagon after 9/11 and then let go by the FBI despite warrants for his arrest,” Fitton said.

Read more from this story HERE.

Bachman: Rush, Breitbart ‘Alternative Media’ Outlets Helping Truth Rise to the Top

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Photo Credit: Breitbart

Photo Credit: Breitbart

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MI) said that Rush Limbaugh and Breitbart News are “alternative media” outlets that are helping the truth the mainstream media try to hide rise to the top.

Appearing on Breitbart News’ broadcast of the “Exempt America” rally on Tuesday with Breitbart News Executive Chairman Stephen K. Bannon, Bachmann said there is this “big monolithic media, then you have Rush.”

She emphasized that Limbaugh “has the biggest voice out there.” Bachmann said there are “very few places you can go to get the other side,” and noted, “now we have Breitbart.” She said it was refreshing to have voices like Breitbart News that give readers the “unvarnished” truth and represent the voice of Americans outside the beltway.

Read more from this story HERE.

David Brooks warns of ‘the rise of Ted Cruz-ism,’ takeover of Republican Party (+video)

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Picture David BrooksOn PBS’s “NewsHour” on Friday night, New York Times columnist David Brooks warned that Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and similar legislators’ rise to prominence threatens the traditional Republican Party.

Brooks insists the motives of Cruz are less about legislation and policy and more about the politics of undermining the Republican establishment.

“What’s going on in the House, and a bit in the Senate, too, is what you might call the rise of Ted Cruz-ism,” Brooks said. “And Ted Cruz, the senator from Canada through Texas, is basically not a legislator in the normal sense, doesn’t have an idea that he’s going to Congress to create coalitions, make alliances, and he is going to pass a lot of legislation. He’s going in more as a media-protest person. And a lot of the House Republicans are in the same mode. They’re not normal members of Congress. They’re not legislators. They want to stop things. And so they’re just being — they just want to obstruct.”

“And the second thing they’re doing, which is alarming a lot of Republicans, is they’re running against their own party,” he continued. “Ted Cruz is running against Republicans in the Senate. The House Republican Tea Party types are running against the Republican establishment.” He added, “And so they’re having a very obstructive role which is going on this week, and I think it’s going to make John Boehner’s life even more difficult.”

Read more from this story HERE.