Good afternoon . .
Had some problems earlier with Blogspot. This may be the only post for today.
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A security alert at the White House today resulted in President Bush being taken to a secure bunker and Vice President Dick Cheney was moved to a secure location. The alter was caused by an unidentified airplane entering restricted airspace over Washington.
The alert lasted only a few moments as it was determined it was a false alarm.
``There was an indication that an aircraft has entered the no-fly zone,'' White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. ``There's an investigation to determine what it really was.''
News
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Cojtroversial rules set in place for the House Ethics Committee may be withdrawn by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL).
Democrats say that the rules were "pushed through" to shield House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. The most controversial new rule requires the committee to act on an ethics complaint within forty-five days or the complaint is automatically dismissed. The old rule which is likely to be reinstated says that an ethics complaint would automatically trigger an investigation unless the committee votes to dismiss it within forty-five days.
The ethics committee is comprised of five Democrats and five Republicans. Under the old rules, it takes a majority of the committee to dismiss an investigation.
Speaker Hastert hopes for a vote on the rules change by the end of the day.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says it is not enough and wants Hastert to reinstate committee staffers fired earlier this year. Pelosi is unlikely to get her wish.
Hastert bristled at talk of Democrats dictating committee staffing. "If they get one thing, they'll want another," he told The Associated Press.
"We raised their staffing. They have the ability to hire more staff," he added, referring to a large increase in the committee's budget.
When the old rules are reinstated, it is likely that a full investigation into the multiple ethics problems of Majority Leader Tom DeLay will begin in earnest.
Las Vegas SUN: House Speaker Ready to Scrap Ethics Rules
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The faltering sometime ridiculous liberal radio "network" Air America could be in serious trouble.
The brain-trust at Air America thought it would be funny to air a skit in which "warning shots" were fired at the President over the Social Security debate.
In the skit the announcer said, "A spoiled child is telling us our Social Security isn't safe anymore, so he is going to fix it for us. Well, here's your answer, you ungrateful whelp: [audio sound of 4 gunshots being fired.] Just try it, you little bastard. [audio of gun being cocked]."
The skit was part of the little-known Randi Rhodes Show who was laughing after the skit aired.
Under federal law even joking about shooting the President is a crime. The Secret Service is investigating.
Air America had no comment on the incident.
(Editor's note: This story comes from the Drudge Report. So far there has been no other sources for this story. As noted before, this column rarely uses unsubstantiated stories from Drudge. Remember the Drudge Report reported the death of John Paul II 24 hours before it happened.)
DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2005
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The US Supreme Court rules today that farmers can sue pesticide maker Dow Agrosciences after the company's weed killer unexpectedly killed their crops.
The ruling reinstates the farmers' claim that Dow essentially failed to warn of possible risks. A lower court had dismissed the claims, reasoning that federal law barred states from imposing labeling requirements on pesticides and herbicides other than those set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Court ordered the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals to take a second look at the case. The case is Bates v. Dow Agrosciences, 03-388.
Yahoo! News - Court: Farmers Can Sue Pesticide Makers
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The US Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday over when an appeals court loses jurisdiction over cases. The execution of a Tennessee man was stalled when a court unexpectedly withdrew its earlier judgment.
At issue is whether the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals followed proper procedure when it decided, on its own accord, to reconsider the case of a convicted murderer after it had denied his appeal.
Jennifer L. Smith, arguing for the state, said that federal law requires the court to issue a "mandate" signaling the end of its authority seven days after the Supreme Court's decision not to take the case.
The Cincinnati based court never issued a mandate. The inmate's lawyer argued that gave the court flexibility to reconsider when a judge discovers new information.
The case is Bell v. Thompson, 04-514
Shelbyville Times-Gazette: Story: Thompson case heard by U.S. Supreme Court
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Today's Briefs
Michael Jackson child-molestation trial update.
The largest airliner in the world, the Airbus 380, made its maiden flight today.
British election update.
The CBS Evening News hits lowest ratings.
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More tomorrow.
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