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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — An elections board in Ohio says a former congressman who served time in federal prison has enough valid signatures to run again for a U.S. House seat.

Director Tom McCabe says the Mahoning County board on Monday approved more than 30 disputed signatures to allow Jim Traficant (TRAF’-eh-kehnt) to make the November ballot in northeast Ohio’s 17th district.

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(CNN) – Former House Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski has died at the age of 82, CNN confirmed.

“Rosty” was a fixture in Chicago politics and a dominant force on Capitol Hill for decades, representing Chicago’s Northwest Side from 1959 to 1995 in a storied career that saw incredible highs and lows.

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Washington (CNN) — The House of Representatives approved a plan Friday that would pave the way for an eventual repeal of the military’s controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which bars openly gay and lesbian soldiers from military service.

The measure passed in a largely party-line, 229-186 vote as part of a larger defense authorization bill despite a growing controversy over allegations of wasteful spending in the legislation. Most Democrats backed the bill while most Republicans opposed it.

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(CNN) — Now that Arizona lawmakers have passed what’s considered some of the toughest immigration legislation in the country, other states are watching to see whether they should follow in the state’s footsteps or stand back.

Arizona’s bill orders immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there’s reason to suspect they’re in the United States illegally. It also targets those who hire illegal immigrant day laborers or knowingly transport them.

You know this was bound to happen. The way the president has pushed everything he has done. Does he want the government to run everything like other countrys.  Are we losing our freedom in this country. We have to buckle up in our cars. People can’t smoke any more where they want. Now we have to have health care,and the government has done it all and a lot more law. What is going to happen next. I know it is for our own good. (Maybe) I hope they don’t take our freedom of speech away.
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Washington (CNN) — Americans have always exercised their Democratic rights under the U.S. Constitution to speak out against the government.

Amid the bitter fight over health care reform, a round of hate-filled messages and sometimes violent actions toward members of Congress has prompted calls to ease up on the rhetoric.

Experts say that although protests against social issues such as health care reform are nothing new for the country, such reaction to a landmark bill’s passing is uncommon.

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Washington (CNN) — Desiree Rogers, the White House social secretary, plans to step down, the Obama administration announced Friday.

Her office came under scrutiny after a couple who lacked an invitation were allowed into President Obama’s first state dinner.

“We are enormously grateful to Desiree Rogers for the terrific job she’s done as the White House social secretary,” the president and first lady said in a statement released Friday.

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OLYMPIA, Washington – Washington is one of four states where measures to legalize and regulate marijuana have been introduced, and about two dozen other states are considering bills ranging from medical marijuana to decriminalizing possession of small amounts of the herb.

“In terms of state legislatures, this is far and away the most active year that we’ve ever seen,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the New York-based Drug Policy Alliance, which supports reforming marijuana laws.

Full Story at CNN.com

Washington (CNN) — The Obama administration invoked the state secrets privilege on Friday in a lawsuit pertaining to government eavesdropping intended to intercept terrorist communications, and one privacy advocacy group called the decision “incredibly disappointing.”

Attorney General Eric Holder issued a statement saying the government was making the move “to protect against a disclosure of highly sensitive, classified information that would irrevocably harm the national security of this country.”

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WASHINGTON – Newly released documents show the FBI interviewed a naked, chained terror suspect back in 2002 as the bureau struggled with the CIA over how to treat high-value prisoners.

Details of the interrogation were contained in documents released late Friday as part of Freedom of Information Act lawsuits brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, and Judicial Watch.

As the CIA began to use harsh interrogation techniques against captured terror suspects, the FBI became wary of the legality of the methods, which ranged from forced nudity to waterboarding, a form of simulated drowning. As a result, FBI agents were ordered not to participate in such harsh interrogations.

Full Story at CNN.com

The House of Representatives on July 29 unanimously passed a resolution urging Obama to grant a pardon; the Senate passed a similar measure by a voice vote on June 24.

The push for a rare posthumous pardon has been spearheaded for years by Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, and Rep. Peter King, R-New York, two of Congress’ top boxing enthusiasts.

“It is our hope that you will be eager to agree to right this wrong and erase an act of racism that sent an American citizen to prison,” they wrote Friday in a letter to Obama.

Johnson, the first African-American to win the heavyweight title, was convicted for violating the Mann Act, which outlawed the transportation of women across state lines for “immoral” purposes.