Chad’s Morning Brief: Lubbock City Council Candidates Campaign Contributions, Scandal at the Secret Service & More
Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of April 16, 2012. Give us your feedback below and tune in to Lubbock’s First News with Chad Hasty for these and many more topics from 6-9 am.
1. Campaign Contributions (link)
In Lubbock's race for Mayor, Glen Robertson is in the lead. At least, with the amount of money he has raised. According to the Lubbock AJ, Robertson has raised just over $43,000 compared to Mayor Tom Martin's $38,665 total. Not bad for the Mayor, but it does show that the Mayoral race could be a money war and an election that is very close.
Only one other race is close in the money war and that's in District 6. According to the report, Randy Sanders has raised $13, 132 while Latrelle Joy has raised $11, 5899. That race is starting to look like it may get tighter and tighter as we get closer to election day.
In District 4, Council Paul Beane is dominating his opponents. He has raised $21, 846 which is about $14, 546 more than his challengers. I still believe Beane will cruise to re-election in this one, though with three people running, we could see a run-off.
2. Secret Service in Hot Water (link)
Well this is just a little embarrassing for America's image.
An embarrassing scandal involving prostitutes and Secret Service agents deepened Saturday as 11 agents were placed on leave, and the agency designed to protect President Barack Obama had to offer regret for the mess overshadowing his diplomatic mission to Latin America.
The controversy also expanded to the U.S. military, which announced five service members staying at the same hotel as the agents in Colombia may have been involved in misconduct as well. They were confined to their quarters in Colombia and ordered not to have contact with others.
All the alleged activities took place before Obama arrived Friday in this Colombian port city for meetings with 33 other regional leaders.
Put together, the allegations were an embarrassment for an American president on foreign soil and threatened to upend White House efforts to keep his trip focused squarely on boosting economic ties with fast-growing Latin America. Obama was holding two days of meetings at the Summit of the Americas with leaders from across the vast region before heading back to Washington Sunday night.
The Secret Service did not disclose the nature of the misconduct. The Associated Press confirmed on Friday that it involved prostitutes.
According to the Daily Caller, the agents did not want to pay for the services that were provided. Nice.
3. NRA Slams the Media (link)
Has the media been absolutely terrible when it comes to their coverage and bias in the Trayvon Martin case? Of course! The President of the NRA agrees.
LaPierre said the NRA will not comment on the Trayvon Martin case “without a full understanding of the facts.” But he accused the news media of not caring about other violent crimes.
“You manufacture controversy for ratings,” he said. “You don’t care about the truth, and the truth is the national news media in this country is a national disgrace…and it’s getting worse every single day.”
Speaking rhetorically to unspecified reporters, he continued: “Your dishonesty, duplicity and moral irresponsibility is directly contributing to the collapse of American freedom in our country.”
I don't think he will be invited over to a reporters house anytime soon for dinner, but is he right? Is the national media irresponsible?
4. Axelrod Endorses Romney... Sort of (link)
You can click on the link for the story and video and I encourage you to do so. David Axelrod who is the Chief Strategist for Obama pretty much summed up why the GOP should win in November. He told Chris Wallace on FOX News:
“The choice in this election is between an economy that produces a growing middle class and that gives people a chance to get ahead and their kids a chance to get ahead and an economy that continues down the road we’re on.”
Right on! Vote Romney!
5. Dumb story of the morning (link)
Horrible drivers.
Michelin is putting out a little research that shows that 74% of drivers say someone tailgated them in the past six months. But only 11% admit to having tailgated someone else. We guessed we aren't terribly surprised.
What's more, almost half of drivers surveyed don't know the proper recommended distance they are supposed to keep behind the car behind them. We guess that means they either haven't taken a driving test in a while or just tried to memorize the answers to get through the test.
6. Good Brews Good News of the Day (link)
Way to go Mayor Booker.
In a smoky stairwell, with embers falling from the ceiling and his neighbor slung over his shoulder, Cory Booker called it his "proverbial come-to-Jesus moment."
The mayor of New Jersey's largest city was carrying out a constituent he had rushed into a burning home to save, first pushing aside his security detail who tried to hold him back by his belt. He didn't feel like a hero: "I felt terror," he told reporters on Friday, holding a children's fire safety video with his burned, bandaged right hand.
The 42-year-old mayor, who has dug out snowbound residents in a blizzard, lived in a rundown housing project to make a point and tagged along on police patrols to lecture drug dealers, took on a new status Friday: the politician who can do almost anything.
Thousands took to Twitter, calling Booker Superman and inviting him to solve the North Korean missile crisis or run for president. The governor called it a "brave move" and the fire director said the mayor was one of the most heroic men he'd ever met.
Booker, standing in front of the boarded-up home Friday, said, "I did what any neighbor would do – help a neighbor."
Everyday, Good Brews Coffee & Tea Lounge brings you the Good News of the Day! Join Chad & Rex TUESDAY from Good Brews as they broadcast live starting at 7am! Details!
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These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of Lubbock’s First News with Chad Hasty. Tune in mornings 6-9am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard online in our podcast section after the show at kfyo.com.
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