Jim McElhatton

Obama’s surgeon general nominee advises Burger King

President Obama's nominee for surgeon general, whose job it is to help encourage Americans to get thinner and healthier, has been working part time as a scientific adviser to the fast-food giant.

August 13, 2009

Kaine frees three of ‘Norfolk Four’ sailors

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine added another chapter to the notorious "Norfolk Four" case Thursday by setting free three of four sailors convicted in the killing, weeks after famous courtroom crime novelist John Grisham said he was working on a screenplay and thought the men were innocent.

August 7, 2009

Congress asked to OK postal cuts

U.S. Postmaster General John E. Potter went to Capitol Hill on Thursday to seek permission to cut a day of mail delivery as the Postal Service faces the worst financial crisis in its 234-year history, and a key lawmaker said Congress may have to rethink its long-standing opposition to the idea.

August 7, 2009

Postal closings, fewer mail days eyed

The U.S. Postal Service expects to lose more than $7 billion this year as managers consider slashing a day of mail delivery and closing hundreds of post offices across the country to help save money, postal officials said Wednesday.

August 6, 2009

Senate panel blocks Postal bonuses

U.S. Postal Service executives won't be getting any big bonuses this year unless they figure out how to avoid a looming multibillion-dollar deficit under a measure approved by a Senate committee Wednesday.

July 30, 2009

FBI arrests over 40 in N.J. corruption probe

Three New Jersey mayors, a state lawmaker who sponsored an anti-corruption bill, five rabbis and a Brooklyn, N.Y., man dubbed the "kidney salesman" were among more than 40 people arrested Thursday in a public corruption probe that one FBI official called "unprecedented."

July 24, 2009

3 N.J. mayors among 40 people arrested in corruption case

Three New Jersey mayors, a state lawmaker who sponsored an anti-corruption bill, several New York rabbis and a man known as the "kidney salesman" were among more than 40 people arrested Thursday in a public corruption probe that one FBI official called "unprecedented."

July 23, 2009

Ex-lobbyist gets nod as envoy to Romania

President Obama often boasted on the campaign trail that "lobbyists won't find a job in my White House," but he never mentioned anything about embassies. One need look no further than Mr. Obama's choice for ambassador to Romania to see why.

July 23, 2009

Devastating deception costs a couple

With mortgage fraud rising sharply across the U.S., there are many cautionary tales about the pitfalls of a deal too good to pass up.

July 19, 2009

Campaign-funded clothes violate donation law

Gov. Sarah Palin, Rep. Robert E. Andrews or any other politician tempted to buy clothes on the campaign trail, take note of the government's latest ruling.

July 17, 2009

Obama donor named ambassador

President Obama criticized the foreign takeover of the famous American brewery Anheuser-Busch last year, saying, "We could have and should have done everything possible to find an American buyer."

July 9, 2009

Ambassadorship opens books on Steelers’ Rooney

President Obama's choice of Dan Rooney as ambassador to Ireland is providing a rare look into the personal finances of the chairman of a Super Bowl-winning franchise - and also into the often overlapping world of national politics.

July 8, 2009

Fundraisers win jobs as Obama envoys

President Obama's campaign to bring change to the nation's capital hasn't kept him from continuing the Washington tradition of handing out ambassadorships to political friends and fundraisers.

July 7, 2009

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. attorney nominee won’t ID all clients

The criminal defense lawyer nominated by President Obama to be the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey is declining to identify more than half of his private clients on government forms designed to help the public guard against potential conflicts of interests.

June 23, 2009

EXCLUSIVE: Pick for Army chief pushed defense earmarks

Before he was named by President Obama to be the next Army secretary, Rep. John M. McHugh of New York had asked Congress to set aside tens of millions of dollars in next year's budget for defense contractors that now could fall under his command as the Army's civilian leader.

June 15, 2009

EXCLUSIVE: IRS files $800,000 lien on ‘04 Kerry campaign

The Internal Revenue Service has filed a tax lien seeking more than $800,000 from Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign, escalating a dispute over payroll taxes that the lawmaker's office blames on faulty government paperwork.

June 3, 2009

Drug dealer avoids jail in daughter’s killing

Frank Howard was an accused child killer. Now he is a federally protected witness. His story provides insight into the little-known deals prosecutors sometimes make to convict high-profile crime figures.

May 31, 2009

Army lawyer pick faces resume flap

President Obama's nominee to be the U.S. Army's top lawyer worked for years as chief compliance officer at Fannie Mae, where he once suggested suing a federal agency overseeing the troubled mortgage giant, according to public records.

May 14, 2009

Treasury nominee to keep corporate pay

President Obama's nominee for the Treasury Department's top legal job still can receive almost $3 million in pay over the next three years from one of the nation's largest financial-services companies under a compensation plan approved by government ethics lawyers.

May 12, 2009

EXCLUSIVE: Union head returns some of $1.2M pay

The president of a maritime workers union reported receiving $1.2 million in compensation last year but abruptly gave back much of the money in April after his big payout was disclosed to the government.

May 11, 2009