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Insider Report: McCain Miffed at NewsMax Article Special From NewsMax's Most Informed Sources
Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):
1. Senators Assail Brokaw Over Global Warming The Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works has issued a release attacking former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw for what it calls the "lack of objectivity" in his July 16 documentary about global warming. According to the release from the committee, which is chaired by Oklahoma Republican James Inhofe, that lack of objectivity "compromised" and "tainted" the Discovery Channel documentary, "Global Warming: What You Need to Know." "Brokaw's partisan past and his reliance on scientists who openly endorsed Democrat Presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004 and who are financially affiliated with left wing environmental groups, has resulted in a documentary that is devoid of balance and objectivity," the release reads in part.
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The release states that Roger Pielke, professor of atmospheric sciences at Colorado State University, viewed an advance copy of the Brokaw special and declared that it contained "errors and misconceptions." He wrote that it could mislead the public "on the broader view that is actually held by most climate scientists." The release continues: "Unfortunately, viewers should not expect a scientifically balanced view of the climate from the former NBC newsman" who "has called the science behind catastrophic human-caused global warming 'irrefutable . . .' "Brokaw's partisan environmental credentials are so firmly established that the former anchor was offered a job in the Clinton-Gore administration to be the director of the National Park Service in 1993 . . . Brokaw's wife also serves as vice president of the environmental group Conservation International." The release points out that Brokaw presents NASA's James Hansen as an authority on climate change "without revealing to viewers the extensive political and financial ties that Hansen has to Democratic Party partisans. Hansen . . . received a $250,000 grant from the charitable foundation headed by former Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz. "Subsequent to the Heinz Foundation grant, Hansen publicly endorsed Democrat John Kerry for president in 2004, a political endorsement considered to be highly unusual for a NASA scientist." Calling the Brokaw documentary "disappointing," the release from the Senate committee notes that it has led climatologist Pielke who has authored more than 275 peer-reviewed journal articles on climate to conclude that Brokaw presents "flawed science" and "a narrow view of the issue of natural and human climate variability and change." The July issue of NewsMax Magazine features a compelling cover story, "Al Gore Spins Global Warming," that debunks many facets of the global warming theory and Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." Editor's Note:
2. McCain Miffed at NewsMax Article A NewsMax.com report about Sen. John McCain's legendary temper has apparently ruffled the feathers of the probable 2008 presidential candidate. When NewsMax's Ronald Kessler, who authored the report, appeared on Tucker Carlson's MSNBC show on July 7 to discuss the story, Kessler stated, "Carlson said McCain's office was very unhappy that he was having me on." "I imagine they may have scared off other shows" that might have interviewed Kessler. In his NewsMax report, Kessler wrote in part: "As portrayed by the mainstream media, McCain is an engaging war hero, a man of political moderation positioned between the left and the right. But to insiders who know him, McCain has an irrational, explosive side that make many of them question whether he is fit to serve as president and be commander in chief." Kessler quoted former Senator Bob Smith, a New Hampshire Republican who served with McCain on the Senate Armed Services Committee and on Republican policy committees, as saying: "I have witnessed incidents where he has used profanity at colleagues and exploded at colleagues. He would disagree about something and then explode. It was incidents of irrational behavior. "We've all had incidents where we have gotten angry, but I've never seen anyone act like that." Kessler's NewsMax.com article also caught the eye of McCain's homestate newspaper, the Arizona Republic. The paper noted that McCain has denied allegations he blows his top, once demanding "some concrete examples of it," adding "they aren't there." Well, they are there. Back in 2000, during McCain's campaign for the Republican nomination for president, he went ballistic during an on-air phone interview with radio personality Michael Reagan. McCain ended up slamming the phone down and hanging up on Reagan. The two were discussing whom McCain, as president, might appoint to the Supreme Court, and Reagan mentioned that Warren Rudman, McCain's campaign chair, could be in position to push for a judge "like Judge [David] Souter." McCain interrupted Reagan four times with "can I finish?" and said Rudman was "not interested in playing any active role in a McCain administration and I resent enormously phone calls that were made by Pat Robertson saying that he was a vicious bigot." When Reagan later tried to shift the discussion to education, McCain said: "Before we go into that, does it disturb you that Pat Robertson would call up people and say that Warren Rudman is a vicious bigot? NewsMax's transcript of the interview read: Reagan: No, Senator, I Senator, no. Senator, because let me tell you McCain: Let me tell you let me tell you (unintelligible) (Senator McCain hangs up abruptly.) Afterwards Reagan declared: "The man does not have the temperament to be president of the United States." Another on-air display of McCain's wrath came later that year as the candidate was about to deliver his concession speech. As he walked through the crowd on his way to delivering the speech, NBC's Maria Shriver asked him: "How do you feel?" McCain spun around and sternly told Shriver: "Please get out of here." The rebuke stunned MSNBC anchor Brian Williams. When NewsMax Magazine ran an in-depth, front-page story in its August 2005 issue, "Inside McCain's Head," Paul M. Weyrich chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Research and Education Foundation told NewsMax: "For years, I've heard stories about him throwing things at people and bringing young staffers to tears because he blows up at them. "He has a seething anger that is very troubling. You can't have somebody like that as president. You have to have somebody who is stable and can make good judgments." Editor's Note:
3. Hillary Courts Wall Street and Collects Health-Care Dollars With an eye toward a 2008 presidential bid, Sen. Hillary Clinton is already wooing Wall Street executives in an effort to raise money and convince them she's business-friendly. Clinton recently appeared at Morgan Stanley alongside the investment bank's chief executive John Mack, a major Republican donor, and discussed policy at Lehman Brothers, the Financial Times reports. She also made plans to visit to Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse. According to the Times, the meetings are an attempt to persuade the financial community that Clinton, "often portrayed by her opponents as a tax-and-spend protectionist, is middle of the road." Political analyst Maurice Carroll told the Times: "She wants to reassure them that she's really OK." Clinton has so far raised $4.7 million from the financial, real estate, and insurance sectors this year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The Times points out that early meetings with Wall Street executives helped Bill Clinton win the White House in 1992. Meanwhile, Hillary is having no trouble raising money from an unlikely source the health-care industry. Clinton alienated many in the industry when as first lady she tried to overhaul the nation's health-care system, pushing for a huge expansion of the federal role. Lobbyists ultimately helped kill her plan. But now Clinton is collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from doctors, hospitals, insurers, and others in the health-care industry. In fact, she is the No. 2 recipient of donations from the industry, trailing only Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Rick Santorum, according to The New York Times. Clinton has received $854,000 from the health-care industry in 2005-6, while Santorum has collected $977,000. Clinton's figure includes more than $431,000 from doctors and other health-care professionals in the past 18 months, and over $142,000 from hospitals and nursing homes. Charles N. Kahn, president of the Federation of American Hospitals, a lobbying group, told The New York Times that health-care executives had changed their stance on Clinton because "she is extremely knowledgeable about health care and has become a Congressional leader on the issue." Clinton has also changed her stance, proposing legislation to increase Medicare payments and prevent cuts in payments to doctors, hospitals, and managed care companies. She has introduced legislation to lower the cost of malpractice insurance for some doctors, and pushed for an expansion of insurance coverage for mental health care. Another reason Clinton is receiving health-care dollars: "People in many industries, including health care, are contributing to Senator Clinton today because they fully expect she will be the Democratic presidential nominee in 2008," said Frederick H. Graefe, a health-care lawyer and longtime lobbyist. "If the usual rules apply," he added, early donors will "get a seat at the table when health care and other issues are discussed." But some Republicans accuse Clinton of political opportunism in her appeal to the health-care industry. "This reveals that Hillary Clinton is a politician more concerned with campaign contributions than policies she claims to support," said Tracey Schmitt, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee. Back in 1993, Clinton accused insurance and pharmaceutical companies of "price gouging" and "unconscionable profiteering." And during her 2000 Senate campaign, she criticized her opponent, Rick Lazio, for taking donations from pharmaceutical companies. This time around, Clinton has pocketed more than $150,000 from drug and insurance companies. Editor's Note:
4. Jeb Bush Is Right: Armed Citizens Reduce Crime An anti-gun control organization has issued a release praising Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for linking lower crime rates and armed citizens. Bush "nailed it" when he told reporters, in reaction to the state's drop in crime, that armed citizens are part of the reason, according to the release from the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA). The governor was quoted in the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel as saying: "Law abiding citizens that have guns for protection actually probably are part of the reason we have a lower crime rate." Florida is one of 40 states with "right-to-carry" laws that allow citizens to carry concealed handguns with the proper license. And last year, Florida passed legislation that enables citizens to "stand their ground" and fight back when attacked in a public place. "Gov. Bush has once again demonstrated progressive thinking and a clear understanding about what works to stop criminals in their tracks," said Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Bellevue, Wash.-based group. "Legally-armed citizens are a threat to nobody but criminals, and Florida's crime statistics prove that the presence of firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens benefits the entire community. In explaining why crime rates have dropped, we think Gov. Bush nailed it." CCRKBA Executive Director Joe Waldron pointed out that while Florida, with an armed citizenry, is enjoying a drop in crime, Washington, D.C., where citizens are legally disarmed, is experiencing a crime epidemic. "In the nation's capital, armed assaults are up 18 percent in the past month and robberies have jumped 14 percent," he said. "Yet law-abiding citizens cannot arm themselves for protection. It's an outrage." 5. Jeb Bush Takes Big Financial Hit as Governor Florida's economic health has improved significantly during Jeb Bush's two terms as governor. Jeb Bush's has not. Bush has seen his net worth plunge by 41 percent since he took office and authorized a trustee to make his investment decisions. His net worth dropped to about $1.4 million last year $1.6 million in assets offset by $203,000 in liabilities according to his latest financial disclosure. Bush's income included his salary of $127,804 and $65,000 from dividends and capital gains, the St. Petersburg Times reports. The only real estate listed in the disclosure is a Coral Gables condo valued at $350,000. Bush a former Miami real estate developer said he finds it ironic that he sat out the biggest real estate boom in Florida history. The disclosure, according to the Times, "bolsters the governor's No.1 reason why he won't run for president in 2008: He and his wife can't afford it." 6. Crist Holds Lead in Florida Campaign Fund Raising Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist continues to outpace his rival Tom Gallagher in campaign fund raising as the two battle for the Republican nomination for governor in Florida. Crist raised another $1.79 million in the second quarter, bringing his total to $10.6 million in hard dollar contributions and $11.7 million overall. Over the same period, Gallagher the state's chief financial officer raised $1.08 million in cash donations, bringing his overall total to $8.7 million. "Floridians across the state have shown their strong support for my campaign and I vow to continue demonstrating leadership on the issues that make a difference," Crist said. "I take their support seriously and I will work every day to honor the trust and confidence they have placed in me." In a June poll, Crist led Gallagher by a margin of 51 percent to 31 percent. Recently, a group of Republican state legislators issued a statement urging Gallagher to drop out early, for the sake of party unity. Florida is considered a must-win state for Democrats who want to re-capture the White House in 2008. 7. We Heard... THAT Al Gore said "I love Iowa!" when an interviewer suggested otherwise regarding the former vice president's feelings about the early caucus state. Will Dana, managing editor of Rolling Stone, told Gore: "I saw someone recently who knows you very well and asked, 'Is he going to run for president?' And the answer was 'I think he wants to be president, he just doesn't want to spend two years in Iowa.'" That's when Gore laughed and declared: "I love Iowa!" Another sign Gore plans to run in 2008. He quickly changed the subject. THAT Katie Couric prepped for her upcoming role as the anchor of "CBS Evening News" by launching a six-city "listening tour" coordinated by Hillary Clinton's former publicist. "Evening News" executive producer Rome Hartman said the tour would be a "genuine effort to hear people out" before she takes the anchor chair in September. Noting that some have called the tour "an exercise in high-octane promotion," broadcasting critic Dusty Saunders writes in the Rocky Mountain News: "While this was essentially Couric's idea, the journey was coordinated with the help of publicist Matthew Hilzik, who had similar duties during a 1999 'listening tour' that transformed Hillary Rodham Clinton from a former first lady into a U.S. senator." THAT in the wake of the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case, some NBA basketball players are so concerned about rape accusations that they're actually having third parties observe their sexual encounters with groupies on the road, according to a report. A GQ story on NBA groupies states that those players "are asking friends or bodyguards to stand in and watch any bedroom activities that might take place on the road," the Arizona Republic reports. "That way, should an accusation surface, a witness can help sort out the truth. For the players, writer Lisa DePaulo points out, this 'isn't just kinky, it's smart business.'" THAT best-selling author and legendary sports handicapper Wayne Allyn Root will be inducted into the Las Vegas Walk of Stars on August 15. Root has made millions of dollars with his sports handicapping business, and is the creator and co-host of the "King of Vegas" television series on Spike TV. He is also the author of the book "Millionaire Republican," which is coming out as a paperback in September 2006 just in time for the midterm elections.
At the August induction ceremony, Root's star will be placed in the sidewalk in front of the New York New York hotel-casino. Other star recipients have included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Siegfried & Roy. THAT President Bush may have misspoke when he called Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper "Steve" but Harper says he doesn't mind a bit. "If a guy buys 85 percent of our exports and wants to call me Steve, that's OK with me," Harper said. Bush referred to Harper as "Steve" at least three times during a joint news conference in Washington in early July, including: "I'm proud to have allies like Steve who understand the stakes of the 21st century." During a radio appearance on July 11, the prime minister was asked what he thought about Bush using the moniker, CBC News reports. "It surprised me a bit," Harper said. "I'm normally called Stephen but a few people, close friends of mine, do call me Steve." He then joked: "My mother doesn't like that, and I'm sure that President Bush will be getting a letter." Editor's Notes:
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