Buildings in Detroit are left abandoned.

So what’s in the news round-up for tonight:

1. Rep. Charles Rangel, the most powerful tax-writing lawmaker in Congress and a 34-year veteran of Capitol Hill, knowingly accepted Caribbean trips from a corporation in violation of House rules, the House Ethics Committee ruled Thursday. Shocker!  Now will Nancy Pelosi and the rest of  those liberal hacks demand that Charlie resign?

2. The number of Americans filing for initial unemployment insurance surged to just below the 500,000 level last week, and have climbed more than 12% over the past two weeks, the government said Thursday…. but, but, but Obama said the worst of the economic crisis was over and his recovery package was saving and/OR creating jobs.

3.  Just moments before the afternoon session got underway, C-SPAN’s cameras picked up audio of Biden chatting casually with participants. “It’s easy being vice president — you don’t have to do anything.” Whomever Biden was chatting with said, “It’s like being the grandpa and not the parent.” “Yeah, that’s it!” replied Biden.  Of course he doesn’t do anything, he’s a bumbling idiot and can’t be trusted.

4.  Detroit Mayor Dave Bing said Wednesday he “absolutely” intends to relocate residents from desolate neighborhoods and is bracing for inevitable legal challenges when he unveils his downsizing plan. In his strongest statements about shrinking the city since taking office, Bing told WJR-760 AM the city is using internal and external data to decide “winners and losers.” The city plans to save some neighborhoods and encourage residents to move from others, he said.  ”If we don’t do it, you know this whole city is going to go down. I’m hopeful people will understand that,” Bing said. “If we can incentivize some of those folks that are in those desolate areas, they can get a better situation.”  Detroit can thank the unions and liberal leadership for its demise.

5.  You may be upset or relieved to hear my news that Howard Stern definitely won’t be joining American Idol as the judge replacing Simon Cowell.  Good, because as much as I respect Howard’s craft, he’d be completely wrong for a family show.

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The Obama administration has been tight lipped about this, but CBN News has learned that five Muslim soldiers were arrested shortly before Christmas.  The five Muslim men are suspected of trying to poison the food supply at Fort Jackson.  Of course this administration kept this quiet. They don’t want to be seen as being weak on terrorism despite O’Biden’s claims that they are doing a better job than the previous administration.

CBN News:

CBN News has learned exclusively that five Muslim soldiers at Fort Jackson in South Carolina were arrested just before Christmas. It is unclear whether the men are still in custody. The five were part of the Arabic Translation program at the base.

Patrick Jones, the Deputy Public Affairs Officer for Fort Jackson, confirmed for CBN News Thursday afternoon that an investigation was ongoing.

Prior to this posting, CBN News learned that these details were also confirmed by a government official with knowledge of the investigation.

The men are suspected of trying to poison the food supply at Fort Jackson.

A source with intimate knowledge of the investigation, which is ongoing, told CBN News investigators suspect the “Fort Jackson Five” may have been in contact with the group of five Washington, D.C., area Muslims that traveled to Pakistan to wage jihad against U.S. troops in December. That group was arrested by Pakistani authorities, also just before Christmas.

Coming as it does on the heels of November’s Fort Hood jihadist massacre, this news could have major implications.

Perhaps someone will tell Attorney General Eric Holder and the President that we are at war especially when are soldiers become targets.

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I mean honestly, I thought I had read it all, but then THIS:

Who knew?

Thank goodness, Vice President Joe Biden went on CNN to chat with Larry King Wednesday night. So many think things are not going so well for the Democrat administration, as The Ticket chronicled here.

Many Americans recall the ex-Sen. Biden’s Democratic primary plans to give in to Iraq’s fractious factions and carve the country into three territories. And even more probably recall Biden’s boss’ plan to halt the Iraq war years ago. As long as it got started anyway without the permission of the then state senator.

Plus, of course, the vehement opposition of the Nobel Prize winner to the 2007 American troop surge of you-know-who from Texas that Obama knew for certain was only going to worsen sectarian strife there. (See 2007 video here.)….

Well, of course, it didn’t turn out that way, thanks in large measure to the brave service of hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops who served in that war-torn land and helped peace to break out despite the loud political acrimony back home over their role.

Now, the Obama-Biden pair that opposed the Iraq war and its tactics and predicted their failure is prepared to accept credit for its success.
It seems that Biden, who’s from Delaware when he’s in Delaware and Pennsylvania when in Pennsylvania, is certain now that Iraq will turn out to be one of the Obama-Biden administration’s greatest achievements.

No, really.

Here’s how Biden put it to Lar:

I am very optimistic about — about Iraq. I mean, this could be one of the great achievements of this administration. You’re going to see 90,000 American troops come marching home by the end of the summer. You’re going to see a stable government in Iraq that is actually moving toward a representative government.

I spent — I’ve been there 17 times now. I go about every two months — three months. I know every one of the major players in all the segments of that society. It’s impressed me. I’ve been impressed how they have been deciding to use the political process rather than guns to settle their differences.

Biden did not elaborate on what all the administration’s other “great achievements” were so far.

No doubt, Iraqis too are very thankful for that 2008 U.S. election

Is there truly no shame with these people?  Do they honestly believe that the American people are so forgetful that we wouldn’t recall what they said just a few short years ago or do they believe that we are that stupid- as dumb as the Progressives?  It’s amazing that all their failed polices they blame on Bush, but embrace all of his successes as their own.

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Unemployment for the month of August surged to 9.7% from 9.4%.  Economist were expecting a rise of 1/10th of a percent to 9.5%.   The economy continues to shed jobs, however, at a slower pace.  The “underemployment rate”, which includes colleges student who have graduated and looking for a job, those whose unemployment have run out, small business owners whose companies have gone under is at a staggering 16.8%.  Economist are predicting that we will see a continued rise in unemployment through the remainder of 2009.

But there is hope.  Vice-President Biden has said that the stimulus bill is working at creating many jobs.  This must be welcomed news for the 16.8% that are unemployed.  Most major job categories recorded losses in August, with construction payrolls tumbling 65,000, factories cutting another 63,000 and retailers firing 10,000 people.  The one sector that recorded a gain in employment was health-care.

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