QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It would be a mistake to wait until the last possible minute to act.”
Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner urging Congress to act soon to increase the U.S. debt limit, a suspension of which expired Friday Article, this page
Governor appoints Baucus replacement
DENVER - The Democratic governor of Montana on Friday appointed the lieutenant governor to fill the Senate seat left open by the departure of Sen. Max Baucus, a move Democrats hope will improve their chances of retaining the seat in what is expected to be a fiercely fought election in November.
Although the lieutenant governor, John Walsh, had announced his candidacy for the Senate, Democrats and some political analysts say his new post as a sitting senator - albeit a temporary, appointed one - could help raise his profile with voters and give him some of the benefits of incumbency.
Friday’s announcement by Gov. Steve Bullock came a day after the Senate voted 96-0 to confirm Baucus, the six-term senator, as ambassador to China. Baucus announced his retirement in April, raising Republican hopes of picking up a seat in a right-leaning state where President Barack Obama is unpopular and where there was no Democratic heir apparent.
Nagin wraps up testimony in bribery trial
NEW ORLEANS - Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ended two days on the witness stand Friday, insisting he bribed no one and struggling to justify expensive dinners that were charged to the city’s credit card - benefits he paid no taxes on and that, according to prosecutors, he took advantage of as the city struggled financially after Hurricane Katrina.
“Thank you, Jesus,” Nagin said Friday afternoon when U.S. District Judge Helen Berrigan told him he could step down from the stand.
Nagin’s trial recessed for the weekend. Closing arguments are set for Monday, after which the trial goes to the jury.
The former mayor, a Democrat who served from 2002-10, was indicted on 21 counts, including bribery, money laundering, conspiracy and filing false tax returns. Prosecutors say he took hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of bribes, including money, free travel and granite for the business he and his sons owned, granite installers Stone Age LLC.
Open to presidential run, Biden says
WASHINGTON - Vice President Joe Biden said Friday that he sees no reason why he shouldn’t run for president in 2016, while giving no indication he’s made a decision to jump into the race.
“There may be reasons I don’t run, but there’s no obvious reason for me why I think I should not run,” Biden told CNN’s New Day program.
Biden said he would make his decision sometime in the middle of 2015. If he enters the race, Biden might face former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who also is a contender for the Democratic nomination. Polls consistently show Clinton, 66, is the front-runner for the party’s 2016 contest.
Biden, 71, said his decision will be based on whether he’s the best candidate to advocate for two issues he cares most about: standing up for ordinary people and a “sound foreign policy.”
Biden’s comments are a sign that the vice president and former U.S. senator from Delaware is at least considering a third bid for the presidency after attempts in 1988 and 2008.
Official pleads guilty to aiding journalist
WASHINGTON - A State Department expert on North Korea pleaded guilty Friday to passing classified information to a journalist and has agreed to a 13-month sentence in a deal with prosecutors, pending a judge’s approval.
Stephen Kim, who pleaded guilty to making an unauthorized disclosure of national defense information, faced a maximum of 10 years in prison had he been convicted of that charge. Prosecutors agreed to drop a second count, making false statements. If he had been convicted of both crimes at trial, Kim would have faced 15 years in prison, his lawyer said. Kim could be released in less than a year for good behavior.
The case stems from a June 2009 story by Fox News journalist James Rosen. He reported that U.S. intelligence officials warned the president and senior U.S. officials that North Korea would respond to a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning nuclear tests with another nuclear test.
Justice Department officials said Kim’s plea concludes the investigation and the prosecution of the case, which was scheduled to go to trial in April. Kim is scheduled to be sentenced April 2.
Front Section, Pages 4 on 02/08/2014