DeLay loses more support in House

Washington

One of Congress’ most conservative members on Friday became the second House Republican to urge Majority Leader Tom DeLay to step aside because of the ethics scrutiny he’s facing.

“If the majority leader were to temporarily step aside so that these trumped up charges can be dealt with in a less hostile environment, as they have proven to be an unnecessary distraction, it may be a productive move,” said Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo.

Tancredo’s comments come after Connecticut Rep. Chris Shays, a moderate Republican, urged DeLay to resign from his leadership position at the beginning of the week.

Tancredo, elected in 1998, said he believes all charges against DeLay, R-Texas, “lack merit” and are “being leveled in the hopes of bringing him down and with him, the Republican majority.”

DeLay has been dogged by questions for months about his overseas travel, corporate fund-raising in 2002 for Texas legislative campaigns, campaign payments to family members and his connections to a lobbyist now under federal investigation.

Jackson lawyer gets kid’s mom to admit lie

Santa Maria, Calif.

The mother of Michael Jackson’s young accuser was barraged with questions on the witness stand Friday as the singer’s attorney tried to portray her as a con artist and forced her to admit she had lied under oath twice in an unrelated case.

Attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr., attempting to shatter the mother’s credibility, focused many of his questions on the woman’s lawsuit against a department store.

The family received more than $150,000 in 2001 after alleging they were roughed up by JC Penney security guards.

Mesereau noted that in a sworn statement, the woman said she had never been abused by her husband at the time – an important issue, because her alleged injuries may have been caused by such violence.

“You were not telling the truth under oath when you made those statements,” Mesereau said.

The woman eventually responded, “This is correct,” but explained that she lied because she was embarrassed about the abuse.

Jackson, 46, is accused of molesting a 13-year-old former cancer patient, plying the boy with alcohol, and holding his family captive at his Neverland ranch and elsewhere in February and March 2003 to get them to help rebut a damaging documentary.

Jackson’s lawyers have suggested that the child-molestation charges were concocted by the boy’s mother in an attempt to shake down Jackson for money.

Cargo handlers charged with stealing mail

San Francisco

Thirteen cargo handlers at San Francisco International Airport were charged Friday with stealing $200,000 worth of computers, cameras and other goods from mail bound for U.S. soldiers stationed in Japan, authorities said.

The 13 defendants, employees of cargo staffing company Aeroground, were arrested Thursday and Friday and appeared in federal court on charges of stealing and conspiring to steal U.S. mail, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Francisco said.

Since November 2003, soldiers based in Okinawa reported more than 570 incidents of not receiving mail or getting mail missing items such as laptop computers, digital cameras, DVD players and videogame consoles, according to the complaint.

If convicted, the cargo handlers could face up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines.