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House bill seeks to end ban on online gambling

By TIMES WIRES
Published April 27, 2007

WASHINGTON - The ban on Internet gambling enacted last fall would be overturned under legislation proposed Thursday by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., but the bill faces long odds in Congress.

Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said the law preventing the use of credit cards to bet online "is an inappropriate interference on the personal freedom of Americans, and this interference should be undone." More bluntly, he has called the ban "one of the stupidest things I ever saw."

The vote for the ban in the House was 317-93 last year.

White House briefings may violate Hatch Act

WASHINGTON - The White House acknowledged Thursday it has conducted about 20 briefings recently for federal agency employees on the election prospects of Republican candidates - the sort of meetings that sparked an investigation into whether Bush aides engaged in illegal political activity.

An independent investigative unit, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, this week launched an inquiry into a presentation by Bush aide J. Scott Jennings to political appointees at the General Services Administration. At issue is whether the January session violated the federal Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in political activities with government resources or on government time.

Also Thursday

Katrina aid: The Bush administration said it would extend housing aid through March 2009 for tens of thousands of Gulf Coast residents displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The cost of the extension is estimated at about $1-billion, FEMA said.

McCain on Gonzales: Presidential contender John McCain joined the call for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to quit in the furor over the firings of eight federal prosecutors. "I am very disappointed in his performance," McCain, R-Ariz., said. He is the first GOP candidate to urge Gonzales to resign.

GOP field grows: Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore entered the race for the Republican presidential nomination. He made his announcement in a webcast originating from the Iowa Republican Party headquarters in Des Moines and sent out over his campaign's Web site.

[Last modified April 27, 2007, 01:35:58]