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Expert: Detroit bargain included deal to protect mayor’s texts

(CNN) — A specialist in contract law testified Wednesday that a private confidentiality agreement — possibly to protect Detroit, Michigan, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his chief of staff — was part of a settlement of whistle-blower cases against the city.

The settlement was reached last year with a Detroit police deputy and two former mayoral bodyguards. Kilpatrick is accused of approving the settlement to hide from the public messages that would show he and the chief of staff were having an affair.

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm was hearing testimony Wednesday at the Cadillac Place state office building in Detroit to help her decide whether to remove Kilpatrick from office over the allegations of misconduct.

The mayor and his now-former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, are accused in criminal court of lying about their romantic involvement, under oath, during the summer 2007 whistle-blower trial, which eventually led the city to pay more than $8 million in settlements.

Provocative text messages exchanged between the two were published earlier this year by the Detroit Free Press. Watch Granholm get Wednesday’s hearing started

Peter Hammer, a Wayne State University law professor, testified Wednesday that in addition to a standard agreement not to disclose the amount of damages and escrow, the settlement reached last fall included another agreement on confidentiality.

The confidentiality agreement is for private purposes, Hammer said. It commits all parties to not disclose the contents of the text messages.

He added, The agreement purports to manage who has access and control to the text messages as of October 17. It’s dated the same day as the private contractual settlement. … So this is a side agreement.

According to the confidentiality agreement, the text messages were to be put into a safe and secure bank, or deposit box.

The issue became public in January, when the Free Press reported Kilpatrick had exchanged romantic text messages with Beatty, indicating the two were involved in an affair.

Kilpatrick subsequently was charged with perjury, obstruction of justice and misconduct in office. Beatty was charged with perjury. Both could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

The Detroit City Council voted in May to ask Granholm to remove Kilpatrick, accusing him of misleading the council when it approved settlements with two fired police officers — Deputy Chief Gary Brown and Officer Harold Nelthrope, a mayoral bodyguard.

The two accused Kilpatrick of retaliating against them because of their roles in an internal affairs probe of the mayor’s security team — an investigation that could have exposed the affair. They sued Kilpatrick and the city of Detroit. A Wayne County court ruled in their favor.

Walt Harris, another former mayoral bodyguard, filed his own whistle-blower suit, contending he was punished for supporting Nelthrope’s reports of wrongdoing by Kilpatrick and his bodyguards.

The city of Detroit paid $8.4 million to settle the lawsuits, but legal fees have pushed that to at least $9 million.

Council members, who were required to submit evidence supporting their accusations, allege the settlement deal was meant to cover up the steamy text messages between Kilpatrick and Beatty.

In opening remarks Wednesday, Granholm said she would consider only two issues: whether Kilpatrick, as mayor, authorized the settlements to further his personal and private interests, because he feared the text messages would be publicly revealed; and whether he concealed information that council members should have had in reviewing and approving the settlements.

My responsibility … is to determine at this hearing whether I am satisfied by sufficient evidence submitted that the respondent has engaged in such conduct, she said. This is not a criminal trial. This is not a civil trial.

found here.

Gunman’s bloody trail leads to six bodies

ALGER, Washington (AP) — A shooting rampage in which six people died along a trail of blood stretching from a tiny town to the state’s busiest highway ended with the surrender of a man who was recently released from jail, authorities said.

The man’s mother described her son as desperately mentally ill and said the sheriff’s deputy he’s accused of killing had tried to help the family for years.

State Department of Corrections officials identified the gunman in Tuesday’s deadly spree as Isaac Zamora, 28, who had just served a six-month jail sentence for drug possession in Skagit County, in northwest Washington.

Since his August 6 release, Zamora had been under community supervision by corrections officers, spokesman Chad Lewis said.

Zamora’s mother said she had tried repeatedly to get help for her mentally ill son.

We’re so devastated for the families, Dennise Zamora said by telephone. I wish it would have been him or me that was killed. That’s how deeply I feel about it.

The six who died included Skagit County Sheriff’s Deputy Anne Jackson, 40, who was shot while responding to the initial call by Dennise Zamora. Watch a police briefing

The dead were found at multiple crime scenes. Jackson and a second person were killed at the same location near the small town of Alger, two construction workers found shot nearby, and a body was found a few houses away, Trooper Keith Leary said. A civilian motorist was killed along I-5 near a rest stop, Leary said.

Dennise Zamora described Jackson as a sympathetic figure who had tried to help the family in the past.

She was very gracious, she said. She knew exactly what we were going through, said her brother was going through some similar stuff.

At least two others were wounded, including a Washington State Patrol trooper shot while trying to stop the shooter on the freeway, the State Patrol said. A motorcyclist was shot in the arm at a Shell gas station.

There are a lot of answers that are just not available right now, Everett police Sgt. Robert Goetz told a news conference late Tuesday. Check out one of the crime scenes

After the shootings in the Alger area, the armed man raced south on the freeway at speeds in excess of 90 mph, with troopers, sheriff’s deputies and Mount Vernon police in pursuit, Leary said.

The first shootings were reported shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday and the suspect was in custody by about 4:30 p.m. He turned himself in at the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office.

The wounded trooper drove himself to a hospital and was released after treatment. He was identified as Trooper Troy Giddings. The other victims were not immediately identified.

Since his August 6 release, Zamora had reported as ordered to corrections officials and had passed drug and alcohol screenings, Corrections Secretary Eldon Vail said.

I want to extend our profound sorrow and heartfelt sympathy for the victims of the shootings, Vail said. This is a senseless loss of the lives of innocent citizens and a member of our law-enforcement family.

Gov. Chris Gregoire called for an independent third-party review to be led by the head of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs and a prosecutor to be appointed by the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.

I will be directing them to look into how this case was handled and provide an initial report to me within 10 days, Gregoire said late Tuesday night.

found here.

Mistaken-fire incident leaves 6 Iraqi troops dead

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — U.S. forces killed at least six Iraqi security troops after Iraqi personnel mistakenly fired on an American patrol boat north of Baghdad on Wednesday, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said.

Ten people were also wounded in the firefight, which occurred at an Iraqi checkpoint along the Tigris River north of the Sunni Arab town of Tarmiya. The checkpoint was manned by Iraqi security forces and Awakening Council members.

The Interior Ministry official said the forces mistakenly opened fire on a U.S. military patrol boat. A U.S. chopper returned fire, causing the casualties, the official said.

The U.S. military didn’t elaborate on the sequence of events but confirmed coalition forces had been conducting operations against al Qaeda in Iraq militants when there was weapons fire between coalition and Iraqi security forces.

It is always regrettable when incidents of mistaken fire occur on the battlefield. A review of the circumstances is under way, a military official said.

Separately, coalition troops in northern Iraq on Wednesday killed a suspected al Qaeda in Iraq operative believed to be moving rockets and bomb parts for a cell in Tikrit, the U.S. military said.

The operation — which took place in Tikrit — targeted an al Qaeda bombing network, which included the weapons facilitator.

found here.

Lieberman: McCain ‘best choice’ to lead

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) — Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democrats’ 2000 vice presidential nominee, said Tuesday night that only Republican Sen. John McCain has shown the courage and capability to rise above … politics to get big things done for our country.

God only made one John McCain, Lieberman said to cheers at the Republican National Convention as he explained his support for McCain’s presidential run.

Lieberman said McCain is the best choice to bring our country together and lead our country forward.

I appeal to independents, Democrats and Republicans: Let’s come together this November to make a great American patriot, John McCain, our next great president, he said.

Like other speakers Tuesday night, Lieberman said McCain — as a naval officer and a politician — has consistently put his country above himself.

The speakers also said McCain’s support for the U.S. troop surge in Iraq was an example of him taking correct, if unpopular, positions.

I’m here to support John McCain [for president] because country matters more than party, said Lieberman, who served three terms as a Democratic senator from Connecticut before winning a term as an independent in 2006.

McCain will be formally nominated by his party during the convention later in the week.

Tuesday was the first full day of the Republicans’ convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Party officials had limited Monday’s session to essential business because Hurricane Gustav was hitting the Gulf Coast.

Tuesday’s convention session was designed to emphasize service and reintroduce presumptive GOP nominee McCain to Americans, campaign officials said.

Before Lieberman spoke, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson described McCain as a man with the proper character and courage to lead the nation.

It’s pretty clear there are two questions we will never have to ask ourselves [about McCain]: ‘Who is this man?’ and ‘Can we trust this man with the presidency?’ Thompson said.

Thompson lauded McCain’s vice presidential nominee, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, as a breath of fresh air who has actually governed rather than just talked a good game on the Sunday talk shows.

Thompson, a former rival of McCain’s for the GOP presidential nomination, highlighted McCain’s career as a naval officer and his five-plus years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.

He said McCain has demonstrated the kind of character that civilizations from the beginning of history have sought in their leaders: strength. Courage. Humility. Wisdom. Duty. Honor.

Thompson, like Lieberman, highlighted McCain’s support for the troop surge in Iraq.

At a point when the war in Iraq was going badly and the public lost confidence, John stood up and called for more troops. And now we are winning, Thompson said.

Earlier Tuesday night, President Bush told the delegates that McCain’s service as a naval officer and a politician has prepared him to make the kinds of decisions that only a president can make.

He is ready to lead this nation, Bush said via video link from the White House to the convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.

Saying McCain is an independent man who thinks for himself, Bush, like Thompson, lauded McCain’s decision to back the troop surge in Iraq.

Some told him that his early and consistent call for more troops would put his presidential campaign at risk, Bush said. He told them he would rather lose an election than see his country lose a war.

That is the kind of courage and vision we need in our next commander in chief. iReport.com: What do you think of the speeches?

Bush said the nation needs a president who understands the lessons of September 11, 2001: that to protect America, we must stay on the offense, stop attacks before they happen and not wait to be hit again.

The man we need is John McCain, Bush said.

During Tuesday night’s session, St. Paul police fired chemical agents and projectiles to disperse a large crowd of protesters outside the convention.

On Monday, police arrested 283 people after firing projectiles, pepper spray and tear gas to disperse a crowd demonstrating near the convention site, St. Paul Police Department Chief John Harrington said.

Hitting upon Tuesday’s convention theme of service, Orson Swindle, who was a POW with McCain in Vietnam, saluted fellow veterans attending the convention.

There was also a video tribute to Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Watch more on the RNC schedule

McCain campaign officials decided to resume a full schedule early Tuesday morning and said they will try to make up for lost time by squeezing speeches and events originally scheduled for Monday into the convention schedule over the next three days.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will have a speaking role at the convention, but not Tuesday as initially planned, a GOP official said.

Because of the changes prompted by Hurricane Gustav, Giuliani will speak later in the week.

found here.

Thousands rally at Ron Paul convention

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (CNN) — While Republicans pow-wowed in St. Paul, supporters of Ron Paul threw their own party in neighboring Minneapolis.

Freedom brings people together, Paul said before a sold-out crowd at Tuesday’s Rally for the Republic.

Paul, who said he entered the presidential race reluctantly, told the roaring audience, I lost my skepticism. I hope you lost your apathy.

As the congressman stepped on stage, red, white and blue confetti fell from the ceiling during a two-minute standing ovation.

Paul said he entered the presidential race not because of what he wanted to do but because of what he did not want to do.

I did not want to run people’s lives, I did not want to run the economy and I did not want to run the world. I didn’t have the authority to do it, and I didn’t have the Constitution behind me to do it, said Paul, who has served in the House of Representatives for more than 30 years.

He withdrew from the presidential race this summer to focus his time on building an organization to help recruit and elect limited government Republicans.

Paul blasted the government for what he considered overstepping its boundaries in many areas, including foreign policy, education and taxation.

The crowd applauded feverishly when Paul said the country should do away with the Federal Reserve System.

He also pointed out that not one single taxpayer’s cent was spent on the day-long rally.

The campaign sold 10,320 tickets to the rally, priced at $17.76, and it gave away about another 1,000 at the door. The event took place at the Target center in Minneapolis, the same arena that will host Rage Against the Machine on Wednesday.

The rally marked the official start of Paul’s political action group, the Campaign for Liberty.

Paul, who ran for president as a Libertarian in 1988, never gained much ground during the Republican primary season.

He did better in the caucuses than primaries and managed to come in second in the Nevada and Montana caucuses, which took place before the field was narrowed to just him and John McCain.

He did, however, develop a huge following online. His presidential run was centered around a grass-roots effort that conducted Internet drives for funds. Watch what Paul thinks about this year’s candidates

Paul is a strict constitutionalist who believes in traditional Republican principles like small government, low taxes and a free-market approach to the economy. But he was the only Republican candidate who voted against the war in Iraq.

The hours leading up to his appearance were filled with a lineup of speakers who blasted the current administration and musicians who rallied the crowd.

An energetic group joined in as musician Aimee Allen pumped her fists while singing, Ron Paul. Start a revolution and break down illegal institutions!

Former Minnesota Gov. and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura received wild applause as he ranted against both Democrats and Republicans and hinted at his own White House run.

I am not a Democrat, and I am not a Republican, and I say that very proudly today, because I think these to parties are destroying our country, he said.

Ventura pushed personal responsibility, saying it’s up to Americans to hold leaders and the media to higher standards.

I wrote the book, ‘Don’t Start the Revolution Without Me.’ Well, I’m here! he said over the applause. Believe me, with people like myself, Dr. Paul and all the rest of us, let’s get the revolution going!

The rally included appearances from NBC’s Tucker Carlson, anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson.

Paul supporters not able to attend the rally in person were encouraged to watch online as a part of Take Over the Net Tuesday, and hundreds posted their commentary on the speakers in forums throughout the day.

Other supporters camped out at a dairy farm in Goodhue, Minnesota, for what was being billed as Ronstock08.

Earlier Tuesday, Paul said he was told he could go to the Republican convention floor, but only under very restricted conditions.

The Republican National Committee told Paul he would have to pick up his pass at the gate and couldn’t have any guests.

Republican congressmen should have a pass to the floor, but they said, ‘Your pass will be at the gate, and we’ll pick it up when you leave, and you can’t take anybody with you,’ he said on CNN’s American Morning.

found here.