AP – South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford talks during an interview with The Associated Press about his relationship …
As it turns out, the pressures and demands of political life have inflicted devastating damage not only on the Ensign and Sanford families, but on the families of many of the 71 other freshmen who formed the vanguard of the Republican Revolution.
In the 14 years since that star-crossed class arrived in Washington espousing an agenda that placed family values at its core, no less than a dozen of its members have been caught up in affairs, sex scandals or in messy separations and divorces from their spouses that, in more than a few instances, led to their political downfalls.
The problems started almost as soon as they took office, and by the end of their first year in Congress, the marriages of at least four Republican freshmen had collapsed.
One of the first to see his marriage unravel was Rep. Jim Bunn (R-Ore.) who, not long after taking office in 1995, divorced his wife, married one of his political aides, and later elevated her to chief of staff. Bunn lost his 1996 reelection bid.
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There are rumors circulating that the murder of Steve McNair may have been a murder suicide between himself and the 20 year old female who was also found dead. While his wife was reported to have been in Mississippi at the time of the shooting, there are some who are speculating on whether or not she played a role in the murders. His wife has not yet been cleared, but her alibi has not yet been questioned either.
Read more on the Steve McNair murder.
More to come!
Image: Dr Boyce Watkins with Steve McNair in 2004
Media outlets are reporting that former NFL MVP Steve McNair has been shot and killed in Nashville, TN. The incident is being reported as either a double homocide or murder suicide, depending on the outlet. McNair, 36, was found to have died from a gunshot wound to the head. McNair was the third overall draft choice by the Tennessee Titans in 1995. He led the team to one Super Bowl and was named co-MVP in 2003.
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WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Serena Williams kept telling herself she was facing just another foe in the Wimbledon final Saturday, just another woman who hits the ball quite hard, just another player trying to deny her a Grand Slam title.
She wasn’t facing just anyone, of course. She was playing her older sister Venus. And when the latest all-Williams final finished, when Serena wrapped up a 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory for a third Wimbledon championship and 11th major title overall, she jogged to the net with her arm extended for a handshake.
Venus pulled her close for a warm embrace, instead.
"I didn’t think about Venus at all today. I just saw her as an opponent," said Serena, who also beat her sister in the 2002 and 2003 finals at the All England Club. "At one point, after the first set, I looked on the side of the court at the stats, and it was like ‘Williams,’ ‘Williams.’ I couldn’t figure out which was which."
That also might have been because she was facing the only other woman who can equal her power and court coverage on grass courts. Monday’s rankings will say Serena is No. 2, and Venus No. 3 — behind No. 1 Dinara Safina, a 6-1, 6-0 loser to the elder Williams in the semifinals — but it is clear who the best woman in the world is at the moment.
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by Dr Boyce Watkins
"Stuntin like my daddy" was the first song on the album, "Like Father, Like Son," issued by Lil Wayne and Birdman in 2006. "Stuntin" is a hip hop term synonymous with "flossing," blinging," and "balling." It means that you’ve engaged in excessive spending to ensure that you have the finest of everything and are even willing to live at the edge of your means in order to present appropriate status symbols to the world. Anyone who follows hip hop knows that you should never take financial advice from a rapper. In light of the recent passing of their father, I sincerely hope that the children of Michael Jackson didn’t hear the Lil Wayne song, since their daddy’s financial "stuntin" before his death has left the children with a conflicted economic legacy.
On one hand, we shouldn’t feel sorry for Michael Jackson’s kids, at least not financially. Their father’s amazing talent gives them a brand that is literally worth well over a billion dollars in future royalties and licensing fees. Michael Jackson may have died physically. But financially, he is still a viable and overwhelmingly powerful corporate entity.
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5 months ago I signed up for the "free" credit report. Little did I know that I would be charged 1.00 per month on aservicecalled "Your Savings Club" which they automatically sign you up. Also they charge you another 1.00 per month as well as 30.00 for "CREDITDIAGNOS". In addition it is your regular charge of 11.95 for "CIC*Credit Monitor". So because I didn’t cancel in time, my "FREE" credit report cost me 214.75.
Justin of Lawndale, CA June 10, 2009
Freecreditreport.com requires you to enter yourinformationin BEFORE it discloses its terms and conditions. Upon reading all the terms and conditions I simply closed my web browser. I did not click on "agree" to terms and conditions and I did not click on either "no, just give me my free credit report" or "yes, I would like my 27 three credit reports" I simply closed the window.
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- Breaking gender rules in black music
- Jackson left behind an ‘Endless’ supply of music
- Michael Jackson: man or merchandise?
Lil’ Wayne on stage at the 9th Annual BET Awards (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
I write this article at the risk of offending my daughters, who are all in the "We think Lil Wayne and Chris Brown were sent by God" age group. It doesn’t matter if you’ve admitted to beating your girlfriend, or if you use every word other than "woman" to describe females. If you are rich and famous, you’re suddenly sexy, cool and dateable. That’s just the way things work for some teenagers (and some grown folks too).
As I rode in the car for 16 hours listening to the radio with my daughters, I noticed that Lil Wayne seemed to feature in every song. I think I upset the girls when I said, "Yeah, Lil Wayne’s song about wanting to have sex with every girl in the world reminds me of Eazy-E…Oh by the way, he eventually died of AIDS."
Yes, I had just puked on my daughters’ parade, but I had to say it. Kids don’t want to hear that kind of stuff, it disrupts their celebrity buzz. So, the same way my daughters grimaced when I compared Lil Wayne to Eazy-E, some execs at BET might grimace when they read this article. I hope they will take comfort in the fact that I am not into blanket indictments. But that never seems to matter in a dichotomous world, where you are either a critic or a supporter. I’m just a man with a brain and two eyeballs, and I try to use them both.
I’ve done a great deal of work with BET, and I’ve always loved it. The staff is courteous, respectful and professional. Many of their specials have been informative, progressive and provocative. I do not, however, consider the most recent BET Awards to be one of these shows.
Click to read more on thegrio.com
Nearly two years ago, Ingrid Michelle was leveled by the shocking truth. Her then-husband of 12 years revealed that he had engaged in oral sex with a young man they both knew. The problem? Apart from being her spouse at the time of the “incident” her husband had been a youth pastor at a thriving church. And the young man? A former member of the flock. After recovering from the initial shock, Ingrid would be confronted with mounting evidence and eyewitness testimony that she had married not only a man who had been living life on the down low, but who was also an accused pedophile. Shocked and disgusted to her core, Ingrid would have to pick up the pieces of a shattered life and begin again. It would get much worse before it got better.
Below is her story in her own words:
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The will and the wake.
Amid the frenzy of confusing and conflicting information that has followed the death of Michael Jackson, Wednesday began with clarity on two fronts. The day ended, however, with more questions than answers.
A federal law enforcement official said Wednesday night that the Drug Enforcement Administration had joined Jackson’s death investigation, once again fanning speculation that drugs may have been involved in the pop icon’s passing.
Earlier in the day, the Jackson family said they would not hold a public or private viewing of his body at Neverland Ranch, as had been reported. They didn’t indicate where else or when such a ceremony would be held.
And though Jackson’s will, made public Wednesday, placed his entire estate in a family trust, the document that described the trust was not filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
"He was such an enigma in life, why would we expect him to be anything different in death?" said Antoni Devon, a Jackson fan who huddled with other music lovers at a makeshift memorial for the singer outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — Michael Jackson suffered from severe bouts of insomnia and pleaded for a powerful sedative despite knowing its harmful effects, a nutritionist who worked with the singer said Tuesday.
Cherilyn Lee is a holisitic health practitioner and has been in healthcare for 23 years, her Web site states.
Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse who first met Jackson in January to treat his children for a common cold, said she rejected his requests for Diprivan and informed him of the side effects.
"I told him this medication is not safe," Lee said. "He said, ‘I just want to get some sleep. You don’t understand. I just want to be able to be knocked out and go to sleep.’ "
"I told him — and it is so painful that I actually felt it in my whole spirit — ‘If you take this you might not wake up.’ "
CNN could not independently verify whether Lee worked with Jackson.
When asked about Lee’s account, Jackson family attorney Londell McMillan said:
"I wonder why someone would make a comment about drugs when they haven’t seen him take the drug or anyone who administered it."
The drug, known by its generic name Propofol, is administered intravenously as an anesthetic during surgeries. 
Watch nurse describe Jackson’s drug request »
An initial dose puts a person to sleep. An overdose can lead to cardiac arrest, doctors say.
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Sunday’s BET Awards, hastily transformed from a regularly scheduled presentation to a tribute to Michael Jackson three days after his unexpected death, may turn out to be the highest-rated broadcast in the 27-year history of the black oriented cable network. Yet, the show also provoked scathing reaction from bloggers and viewers who found some elements of the show, along with host Jamie Foxx’s constant self-promotion of his album and upcoming tour, distasteful and offensive.
The live broadcast, which was hosted by Foxx, drew about 10.2 million viewers, a 61% increase over its audience last year, according to Nielsen Media Research. An estimated 10% of televisions that were on at that time were tuned in to the ceremony, which Nielsen said was an unusually high number for a cable network. The ceremony featured several salutes to Jackson by Foxx, Ne-Yo and others. Highlighting the show was the first public appearance since Jackson’s death of his sister Janet, who walked on stage near the end of the show and emotionally thanked fans for their condolences and support. She was not joined on stage by her father Joe Jackson, who was in the audience at the Shrine Auditorium.
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