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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mitt Romney can't disavow the conservative views he embraced as candidate during the Republican presidential primaries, President Barack Obama says in a new interview. However, Obama acknowledges that he too is struggling against public skepticism because of the slow economic recovery....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mitt Romney can't disavow the conservative views he embraced as candidate during the Republican presidential primaries, President Barack Obama says in a new interview. However, Obama acknowledges that he too is struggling against public skepticism because of the slow economic recovery....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mitt Romney can't disavow the conservative views he embraced as candidate during the Republican presidential primaries, President Barack Obama says in a new interview. However, Obama acknowledges that he too is struggling against public skepticism because of the slow economic recovery....

In a high crime area, officers observed defendant dropping a cell phone and car keys into brush. That was reasonable suspicion. They did not violate the Fourth Amendment by pressing the key fob to find the car. United States v. Cowan, 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 6051 (8th Cir. March 23, 2012). United States v. Figures, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 55641 (D. Neb. April 20, 2012).*

Motion for return of property under Rule 41(g) was denied without prejudice where the
claimant likely had no property interest in the place where it was seized. He needed to show more and still can. United States v. Return of Property of Fawcett, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 55620 (N.D. Ohio April 20, 2012)*:

In this matter, Mr. Fawcett has not yet shown a sufficient property interest in the jewelry listed in his Declaration. The Defendant avers the jewelry, consisting largely of vintage watches, was taken from a residence in which, at the time of the exercise of the warrant, Mr. Fawcett no longer had any property interest and in which he no longer resided. Mr. Fawcett has yet to offer any evidence to demonstrate his lawful possession of the jewelry listed in his Declaration. Further, Mr. Fawcett has failed to specify with any certainty the items he seeks to have returned. Instead, the description offered in his Declaration is generic by type (watch), and brand (Rolex), and general year (vintage 1978).

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney added to his big lead in the race for convention delegates Tuesday with a five-state sweep of Republican presidential primaries....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum says he expects to endorse Mitt Romney....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum says he expects to endorse Mitt Romney....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum says he expects to endorse Mitt Romney....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum says he expects to endorse Mitt Romney....

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- President Barack Obama went after the college vote Tuesday, pitching cheaper student loans as he courted the one age group where he has a decided advantage over Republican rival Mitt Romney. The twist? Romney, too, has endorsed the idea, though it's unclear whether deficit-leery Republicans in Congress will go along....

by Greg Palast – Special for Buzzflash at Truthout

The Justice Department went big game hunting and bagged a teeny-weeny scapegoat.  More like a scape-kid, really.

Today, Justice arrested former BP engineer Kurt Mix for destroying evidence in the Deepwater Horizon blow-out.

I once ran a Justice Department racketeering case and damned if I would have 'cuffed some poor schmuck like Mix––especially when there's hot, smoking guns showing greater crimes by BP higher ups.

Last week, I released evidence we uncovered that BP top executives concealed evidence of a prior blow-out.  Had they not covered up the 2008 blow-out in then Caspian Sea, then the Deepwater Horizon probably would not have blown out two years later in 2010. [Watch the film and read the stories.]

I urge you to read the affidavit of FBI agent Barbara O'Donnell which the government filed in arresting Mix.  His crime is deleting texts from his phone indicating that the blown-out Macondo well was gushing over 15,000 barrels of oil a day, not 5,000 as BP told the public and government.  If true, it's a crime, destruction of evidence.  But Mix is a minnow.  What about the sharks?  The texts were obviously sent to someone (named only "SUPERVISOR" by the FBI).  If "Supervisor" knew, then undoubtedly so did BP managers higher up.  Presumably, even CEO Tony Hayward would have gotten the message on his racing yacht.

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Destruction of evidence is not nice, but concealment of evidence and fraud by corporate bigs, is the bigger crime.  I hope, I assume, I demand that we find out what Supervisor's supervisors knew and when they knew it––and didn't tell us.

And far, far, far more important:  when is the Justice Department going to go after the greater wrongdoing? Let's begin with the cover-up before the spill that the drilling methods used on the Deepwater Horizon had led to a blow-out nearly two years earlier.

Let's face it:  to go after the bigger crime means going after the entire industry.  The earlier blow-out was concealed by BP as well as its partners Exxon and Chevron and, by the US State Department under Condoleezza Rice.  [If you want to get that story, please check out Part II:  BP Covered Up Prior Oil Spill at Ecowatch.org.]

One point in Mr. Mix's defense.  During my investigation of the Deepwater Horizon, I found that employees who provide evidence against BP find their careers floating face down in the Gulf.

BP and other oil companies punish troublemakers by writing "NRB" on their record.  That means "Not Required Back"––and the worker is banned from the offshore rigs.  No doubt, Mr. Mix thought long and hard about what would happen to his career if his texts came to light.  Not an excuse for crime, but it's a fact.  It's the guys on top putting on this kind of pressure that should be doing the perp walk:  the Big Bad BP Wolves, not their mixxed-up scapegoat.

****

Re-prints permitted with credit to Greg Palast

Greg Palast is the author of Vultures’ Picnic, which centers on his investigation of BP, bribery and corruption in the oil industry. Palast's, reports can be seen on BBC-TV and Britain’s Channel 4.

You can read Vultures' Picnic, "Chapter 1: Goldfinger," or download it, at no charge: click here.

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mitt Romney has completed a five-state sweep of Republican presidential primaries, adding a victory in New York to earlier wins in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Delaware....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mitt Romney has completed a five-state sweep of Republican presidential primaries, adding a victory in New York to earlier wins in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Delaware....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mitt Romney has completed a five-state sweep of Republican presidential primaries, adding a victory in New York to earlier wins in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Delaware....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mitt Romney has completed a five-state sweep of Republican presidential primaries, adding a victory in New York to earlier wins in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Delaware....

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney addresses supporters in New Hampshire following primary victories.

Newt Gingrich tells North Carolina supporters he is not backing out but is rethinking how his campaign can remain helpful.

BLT: Does Gant prohibit search incident in DUI cases? D.C. Appeals Court Weighs Warrantless Car Searches:

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals heard arguments this morning on when it's still lawful for local police to search a car without a warrant after making a lawful arrest.

The U.S. Supreme Court tried to limit those types of searches in its 2009 decision in Arizona v. Gant. The high court did carve out some exceptions, though, which included searches where police have "reason to believe" they might find evidence of the crime.

Almost all the precedent since Gant says yes.

STRATHAM, N.H. (AP) -- Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney said Friday that "small-town dreams" are being "smothered" under President Barack Obama as he kicked off his first traditional campaign trip of the general election....

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- President Barack Obama went after the college vote Tuesday, pitching cheaper student loans as he courted the one age group where he has a decided advantage over Republican rival Mitt Romney. The twist? Romney, too, has endorsed the idea, though it's unclear whether deficit-leery Republicans in Congress will go along....