McConnell super PAC received $100K from a dead man

"A dead man donated $100,000 to a political action committee backing Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell's re-election campaign, according to USA Today. Last week, officials from the super PAC Kentuckians for Strong Leadership reported that the organization had received the donation from wealthy Texas homebuilder Bob J. Perry on June 3, almost two months after his death in April. While officials from the super PAC blamed a software glitch for inserting June 3 rather than April 12, the day before Perry died, the incident has highlighted the larger issues of political contributions from beyond the grave and campaign finance laws in general. Kentuckians for Strong Leadership has used its donations to run a pointed advertising campaign against Democratic Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes. Jonathan Hurst, a senior aide for Grimes, raised suspicion about Perry's posthumous contribution with the Louisville Courier-Journal on July 31. "This raises a lot of questions that Kentucky deserve answers to," Hurst said. "The report appears to be as dishonest as their television ads." Oddly enough, campaign contributions from the departed aren't much of a rarity, according to USA Today. Federal regulations simply limit yearly posthumous donations to $5,200 for a federal candidate and $32,400 for a party per year. In fact, the deceased have given more than $586,000 to campaigns since the start 2009. Now the Libertarian Party has a lawsuit pending before a federal appellate court that seeks to eliminate those limits entirely. "This is pure free speech," Libertarian Party attorney Alan Gura told USA Today. "A dead person can't corrupt someone.""

President George W. Bush has stent procedure

"Former President George W. Bush successfully underwent a heart procedure in Dallas on Tuesday after doctors discovered a blockage in an artery during his annual physical, Bush spokesman Freddy Ford said. "At the recommendation of his doctors, President Bush agreed to have a stent placed to open the blockage," Ford said. "The procedure was performed successfully this morning, without complication, at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital." Bush, 67, was expected to be discharged Wednesday and resume his normal schedule the following day. The blockage was discovered Monday during Bush's physical at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, where the nation's 43rd president lives. Bush was described as being "in high spirits" and eager to return home. View gallery." Behind-the-scenes images of President George W. Bu … s "He is grateful to the skilled medical professionals who have cared for him," Ford said. "He thanks his family, friends, and fellow citizens for their prayers and well wishes. And he encourages us all to get our regular check-ups." Stents are mesh scaffoldings that prop open arteries typically clogged by years of quiet cholesterol buildup. About half a million people have stents inserted in the U.S. each year, generally involving an overnight stay in the hospital. Doctors usually guide a narrow tube through a blood vessel near the groin up to the heart, inflate a tiny balloon to flatten the blockage and insert the stent. Sometimes, they insert it through an artery in the wrist to lower the risk of bleeding. Doctors often recommend first trying medication to treat a clogged artery. More severe blockages, particularly in several arteries, may require bypass surgery. Arteries can reclog, so patients often are put on heart-friendly diets or medication. White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters that President Barack Obama was briefed on Bush's procedure and "obviously wishes him well." He didn't believe Obama and Bush had spoken, Carney said. AP photographer becomes presidential historian for …Play video." AP photographer becomes presidential historian for … Bush has no history of heart trouble, but has needed medical attention several times. In May 2004, toward the end of his first term, Bush fell from his mountain bike during a 17-mile ride. He was wearing a helmet and mouthguard but sustained scrapes and scratches to his face, hand and knees. In July 2005, he crashed his bike again while on a slick pavement in Scotland and suffered some bruises and scrapes to a hand and arm. In 2002, he briefly lost consciousness while watching a football game on TV at the White House and hit his head. The incident was blamed on him not feeling well and an improperly eaten pretzel. In 1998 and 1999, while governor of Texas, he had two benign colonic polyps removed. In 2002, while president, he had a follow-up colonoscopy and invoked a section of the 25th Amendment temporarily transferring presidential powers to Vice President Dick Cheney. The colonoscopy showed no signs of cancer. ___ Graczyk reported from Houston and Neergaard reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Nedra Pickler contributed to this story from Air Force One."

Tamerlan Tsarnaev 'subscribed to publications espousing white supremacy,' BBC reports

"Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of the brothers accused of carrying out the Boston Marathon terror attack, was in possession of right-wing American literature leading up to the bombings, a new BBC documentary says. Tsarnaev subscribed to publications "espousing white supremacy and government conspiracy theories" — specifically, that the September 11 terror attacks and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing were both orchestrated by the U.S. government. Another article Tsarnaev apparently had in his possession was about "the rape of our gun rights." He also had "material about U.S. drones killing civilians, and about the plight of those still imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay." The 26-year-old was killed in a shootout in Watertown, Mass., on April 19. His brother, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, later surrendered. He pleaded not guilty to federal terror charges. Three people were killed and more than 200 others wounded when two powerful homemade bombs exploded near the race's finish line on April 15. Friends of the Tsarnaev brothers told the BBC that Tamerlan, a fledgling boxer, turned against the country and became passionate about Islam. "He just didn't like America," one friend told the BBC. "He felt like America was just basically attacking all Middle Eastern countries ... trying to take their oil." Before Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured, he reportedly scrawled a note inside the winterized boat where he was hiding. It read: "We Muslims are one body. You hurt one you hurt us all." In April, the Washington Post reported that the brothers were "self-radicalized" and motivated to kill, in part, by the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That month, U.S. officials told the Associated Press that Tamerlan was an ardent reader of jihadist websites and extremist propaganda, suggesting the brothers were motivated by an anti-American, radical version of Islam. The BBC documentary underscores previous reports that Tamerlan was the mastermind behind the terror attack and that Dzhokhar was influenced his older brother. Dzhokhar "was intimidated [by Tamerlan], that would probably be the best word," a friend said. "He took him very seriously. He was an authority." Dzhokhar, the friends added, "smoked copious amounts of pot" and "rarely prayed." The BBC report, "The Brothers Who Bombed Boston," airs Monday."

Iran's leader reaches out to U.S., vows to resolve nuclear row

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Washington Post sold to Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos for $250 million

"In a stunning move, Washington Post Co. Chairman Donald Graham announced on Monday that his family has agreed to sell its storied newspaper to Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos. The price tag: $250 million. "Every member of my family started out with the same emotion — shock — in even thinking about [selling]," Graham said. "But when the idea of a transaction with Jeff Bezos came up, it altered my feelings." The Graham family bought The Washington Post in 1933. Like many newspapers in the Internet era, the Post has struggled to maintain its print circulation — and has watched its profits dwindle. Its daily circulation fell 8.3 percent during the fourth quarter of 2012 and first quarter of 2013. The Post now has a daily circulation of 473,000 copies, making it the seventh largest newspaper in America, but just three years ago its circulation was 578,482. As for profits, they plummeted 83 percent during the first quarter of this year. "The Post could have survived under the company's ownership and been profitable for the foreseeable future," Graham continued. "But we wanted to do more than survive. I'm not saying this guarantees success but it gives us a much greater chance of success." In a separate statement, Graham said he decided to sell "only after years of familiar newspaper-industry challenges made us wonder if there might be another owner who would be better for the Post." Bezos' "proven technology and business genius, his long-term approach and his personal decency," he added, "make him a uniquely good new owner for the Post." In a memo to Post staffers, Bezos said the newspaper — perhaps best known for breaking news of the Watergate scandal — would not change its values under new ownership. To the employees of The Washington Post: You'll have heard the news, and many of you will greet it with a degree of apprehension. When a single family owns a company for many decades, and when that family acts for all those decades in good faith, in a principled manner, in good times and in rough times, as stewards of important values – when that family has done such a good job – it is only natural to worry about change. So, let me start with something critical. The values of The Post do not need changing. The paper's duty will remain to its readers and not to the private interests of its owners. We will continue to follow the truth wherever it leads, and we'll work hard not to make mistakes. When we do, we will own up to them quickly and completely. I won't be leading The Washington Post day-to-day. I am happily living in "the other Washington" where I have a day job that I love. Besides that, The Post already has an excellent leadership team that knows much more about the news business than I do, and I'm extremely grateful to them for agreeing to stay on. There will of course be change at The Post over the coming years. That's essential and would have happened with or without new ownership. The Internet is transforming almost every element of the news business: shortening news cycles, eroding long-reliable revenue sources, and enabling new kinds of competition, some of which bear little or no news-gathering costs. There is no map, and charting a path ahead will not be easy. We will need to invent, which means we will need to experiment. Our touchstone will be readers, understanding what they care about – government, local leaders, restaurant openings, scout troops, businesses, charities, governors, sports – and working backwards from there. I'm excited and optimistic about the opportunity for invention. Journalism plays a critical role in a free society, and The Washington Post – as the hometown paper of the capital city of the United States – is especially important. I would highlight two kinds of courage the Grahams have shown as owners that I hope to channel. The first is the courage to say wait, be sure, slow down, get another source. Real people and their reputations, livelihoods and families are at stake. The second is the courage to say follow the story, no matter the cost. While I hope"

D'oh! American tourist accidentally snaps finger off medieval Italian statue

"D'oh! An American tourist who was visiting a museum in Italy accidentally snapped the pinky finger off a medieval statue, authorities in Florence say. The statue, believed to be from the 14th or 15th century, is thought to be the work of sculptor Giovanni D'Ambrogio. Security guards at Museo dell'Opera del Duomo say they spotted the unidentified, middle-aged man touching the statue but were unable to stop him before he damaged the work. He reportedly told the guards he was trying to measure it. "In a globalized world like ours, the fundamental rules for visiting a museum have been forgotten," museum head Timothy Verdon told MSN U.K. "That is, 'Do not touch the works.'" It's unclear how much repairs to the statue would cost. Verdon said the man, who was visiting from Missouri, apologized. "It is a fairly simple restoration," the museum told the Daily News, adding that the incident was reported to police. It's apparently not the first time the statue had been damaged. "This was already a very fragile piece of art," Ambra Nepi, head of communications for the museum, told ABC News. "But every year throughout the Duomo we have many items that are damaged and broken.""

Egypt army chief shows political agility in crisis

"Every year, Drake's October's Very Own (OVO) Festival serves both as an annual morale booster for Toronto and as a conduit for the rapper to bring out a coterie of famous friends to his hometown. Even with Frank Ocean's highly-publicized absence due to vocal injury, the fourth installment of the fest last night at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre topped its predecessors in star power with cameos by Big Sean, Wale, J. Cole, A$AP Rocky, French Montana and Miguel, not to mention, Kanye West in one of his first appearances following the birth of daughter. Seven Hot Hip-Hop Crews: Young Money After a vehement rendition of "New Slaves" and "Can't Tell Me Nothing," West turned the stage into a pulpit, not for another notorious, tangential rant, but for an outpouring of affection for Drake. The G.O.O.D. Music honcho gushed that he and Jay Z teamed up in 2011 as a way of keeping up with the youngster. "Me and Hov would have never made Watch the Throne if this nigga wouldn't have been pushing on us like that," West said, grinning as the crowd cheered. Lil Wayne kept the feel-good vibes flowing when he joined his Young Money protégé for "The Motto," "HYFR" and "Love Me." Rumors have circulated that the two have been on the outs, especially as Drake has released isolationist tracks like "All Me" and "No New Friends," but there was not the least sign of friction. Drake called Wayne the "best rapper alive" and reaffirmed his allegiance by proclaiming, "I'mma be riding with this man until the end of time!" The rapper also put to rest rumors of ill will toward the Weeknd (the singer was markedly absent from the festival line-up and said in a recent interview that he's been forging a separate trajectory from Drake) with a joint performance of "Crew Love." Drake had no shortage of solo material to perform, from "Girls Love Beyoncé" and "The Motion" to his buzzy new verse on Migos' "Versace" and deep mixtape cuts like "Uptown." Still, he often took a backseat to his guests, alternating between headliner and fan. Nowhere was that more apparent than when Diddy and Ma$e reunited for a nostalgia-laden set which included hip-hop staples "Mo Money Mo Problems" and "It's All About the Benjamins." The consummate showman, Diddy's stage presence was as keen as ever and the crowd rejoiced in the blast from the past during parts one and two of "I Need a Girl." Even Drake, wearing what appeared to be a modern take on Bad Boy's signature Nineties shiny suit, couldn't help himself from bopping along. The retro theme of the night continued with a surprise performance by TLC. Remaining members T-Boz and Chili took over the stage, complete with backup dancers and outfits reminiscent of the Fan Mail era, for the girl power ballad "No Scrubs" and "Waterfalls." Chili shared that the latter was the favorite song of the late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and at one point, a silent Lil Mama came onstage in what was apparently a symbolic gesture – she plays the role of Left Eye in the upcoming biopic about the group. Even amid the plethora of cameos, Drake made sure OVO Fest was still very much his show. He closed the night by himself with the dark, anthemic "Started From the Bottom" and "No New Friends" as his backdrop. Drake plugged his forthcoming album Nothing Was the Same (due out on September 17th) and reminded his hometown, in the unlikely event that they needed it, exactly why they loved him: "Every time you hear my voice you're hearing a piece of this city.""