By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years

Will.i.am says he's been unfairly accused of stealing a song from a Russian dance producer for use on his new album.
Fergie was been absent _ but the Black Eyed Peas were joined by another female diva onstage: Alicia Keys.
Mallory Hagan says her first week as Miss America has been amazing, but she's not sure she's going to Inauguration Day because of the weather.
Will.i.am says though he's an active supporter of President Barack Obama, don't expect the Black Eyed Peas leader to become a politician.
Ryan Seacrest and Stevie Wonder paid homage to Dick Clark on stage, while Usher and will.i.am shared their praise for the TV icon and music lover off camera.

Looking to turn a negative into a positive, President Obama on the campaign trail is openly acknowledging a less-than-stellar performance in last week's debate, joking about his stumble, pleading for contributions and complaining sharply about Mitt Romney's "extreme makeover."
Celebrities are flocking to Charlotte for the Democratic convention, albeit without the prop furniture that made Clint Eastwood's appearance at last week's Republican convention so talked about.

Will.i.am has premiered his new single — from Mars. The NASA rover Curiosity beamed to Earth his new song, "Reach for the Stars," on Tuesday in the first music broadcast from another planet, to the delight of students who gathered at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to listen.
In a story Aug. 28 about music broadcast from Mars, The Associated Press reported erroneously that the new song from will.i.am traveled 700 million miles based on information from NASA. The distance should be 330 million miles.
Will.i.am has premiered his new single _ from Mars.

As she kicked off the U.S. leg of her "MDNA Tour" in Philadelphia, Madonna said she was happy to party in the U.S. after touring Europe for three months.
Will.i.am has premiered his new single _ from Mars.
NASA's most high-tech Mars rover plunged into the red planet's atmosphere Sunday night in an attempt to safely reach the surface with a complex new landing technique.
The most high-tech rover NASA has ever designed was speeding toward Mars on Sunday to attempt an acrobatic landing on the planet's surface.
Should headphones made out of recycled trash ever cost $349? It depends on how cool they are.
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Will.i.am says he's been unfairly accused of stealing a song from a Russian dance producer for use on his new album.
Will.i.am, whose real name is William Adams, noted that his album includes collaborations with more well-known electronic dance music producers including Afrojack, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso.