Politicians Settle Up

And now some fresh pickings from the grapevine:

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Politicians Settle Up

Remember those thousands of dollars in delinquent property tax by presidential candidate John Edwards (search) we told you about last night? Well, he paid up, but he may not be the only politician in arrears. A home on Nantucket Island shared by Democratic Massachusetts’s Senator and presidential candidate John Kerry (search) and his wife still has more than $10,000 worth of property taxes unpaid. A bank in charge of making those payments for Kerry, however, takes full responsibility for the missed payment, telling the Boston Globe that the check is, "in the overnight mail." Meanwhile, democratic sources have faxed us papers showing that President Bush's chief political adviser, Karl Rove (search), is four months late paying $4,000 worth of property taxes for his home in Washington. Rove's office says his mortgage company, responsible for making the payments, dropped the ball…and it is being taken care of immediately.

More Rally Behind First

A new poll out today shows more Americans rallying behind the First Amendment (search). Last year, 41 percent of Americans said the First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees, but now only 19 percent say that. However, the poll, conducted by the University of Connecticut, also shows that nearly half of Americans say the U.S. media have too much freedom. In addition, more than a third of Americans say the U.S. media have been too aggressive in asking questions during the war on terrorism.

Racial Charges

The Reuters (search) news organization and one of its American subsidiaries are now being sued for allegedly fostering an, "outrageous, patently offensive environment" that tolerates a, "white, public school attitude." Lawyers representing employees and former employees in New York and New Jersey tell London's Independent newspaper that black employees were called racial epithets by their white supervisors, were sent racially offensive emails…one depicting a black employee in a noose…and were routinely paid less than their white co-workers. The subsidiary, Radianz, "absolutely denies any and all allegations," and a Reuters spokeswoman says, "Reuters does not tolerate any form of discrimination within our own firm and ... in any of our affiliates."

— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report