Gray Area
Republicans are accusing Florida Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson of wasting thousands of taxpayer dollars to send out a "best-of" DVD showcasing his accomplishments.
The Orlando Sentinel reports Grayson, who's running for re-election, used $73,000 of federal funds to make a 90-minute video and send it to 100,000 of his constituents.
Critics say campaign funds, not taxpayer money, should have been used. But Grayson defends the DVD, saying he does not see it as self- promotion: "I told people in my district that I would try to be a watchdog and I think they have a right to know whether I have kept that promise."
Friday Follow-Up
Updating a story we've been following this week, Massachusetts Democratic Senator John Kerry has now set sail on a damage control campaign after it was reported he was saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes by docking his $7 million yacht in neighboring Rhode Island.
Kerry told The Boston Globe he was always planning on forking over the cash, it was just a matter of when. "Legally, I'm not compelled," he said, "But politically, and in terms of the perception, that is something that came at us unexpectedly. I should have paid more attention and done it faster or whatever. I just didn't think we had to."
Weighty Issue
Chew on this -- a British public health minister wants to call people "fat." She claims referring to people as "obese" makes them less worried about their health than if they are called the dreaded "F-word."
Health Minister Anne Milton believes calling someone "fat" will more likely motivate that person to lose weight.
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