Free Republic

McALLEN, Tex. -- During the first nine months of this year, Sen. Barack Obama raised just $2,086 for his presidential campaign from people who live in and around this border town of stucco bungalows and weed-covered farm lots, and most candidates raised even less. But Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, has already raised more than $640,000 here, and her campaign expects to collect even more. Clinton's success in this unlikely setting is based almost entirely on her friendship with one man, McAllen developer Alonzo Cantu. A self-made millionaire who once picked grapes on the migratory farm labor circuit,...

US firms accuse Qualcomm of unfair practices in South Korea SEOUL, July 3, 2006 (AFP) - Two US technology firms have filed a complaint with South Korea's antitrust watchdog accusing US mobile phone chip developer Qualcomm of abusing its market dominance, officials have said. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC), a state organization watching for fair trade, said the complaint was lodged by Texas Instruments and Broadcom. "Qualcomm was accused of selling its handset chips bundled with other chip products by using its market dominance," an FTC official said. Qualcomm has monopoly market status in South Korea as the sole supplier...

Companies, partnerships and individuals connected to Charles J. Kushner have given over $1 million ($1,008,600) to federal candidates and national party committees in 1999-2000. The operation involved at least 72 partnership/companies and 75 individuals/employees in and around Florham Park, New Jersey. The principal recipients were the Democratic National Committee ($383,300); Committee For Working Families ($140,000), a federal political action committee linked to Mayor Jim McGreevey of Woodbridge, NJ; Mayor Rudolph Giuliani ($100,000, of which $38,000 was returned); Hillary Clinton ($79,250); Jon Corzine ($72,000); Senator Robert Torricelli ($57,000); and former Vice President Al Gore ($51,000). The employee relationship, timing and bundling...

<p>Check this out: Yesterday Europe's antitrust czar, Mario Monti, ordered Microsoft to offer a version of its Windows operating system without the currently included Windows Media Player, which allows computers to play music, movies and the like. Oh, the commission also fined Microsoft $612 million for "bundling" Media Player into Windows. But that's not the weird part.</p>

So much for the notion that media chieftans are a bunch of country club Republicans. An article this week in Britain’s Guardian newspaper revealed how FCC records show that top executives from News Corporation, CBS parent Viacom, as well as the former President of CBS, Howard Stringer, are heavy contributors to John Kerry’s campaign, pledging to raise $50,000 or more for him by bundling gifts from others of up to $2,000 each. Viacom COO Mel Karmazin also pitched in for Tom Daschle. The DrudgeReport (www.drudgereport.com) linked on Tuesday to the February 10 story, “Media chiefs back Kerry campaign,” in the...

Kerry Funds Raise Questions Donations From Tech Firm Spark Controversy for Candidate By Jake Tapper ABCNEWS.com Feb. 9— On the night of his victory in the New Hampshire primary, Democratic presidential front-runner Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts warned so-called special interests that a new day was coming. "We're coming, you're going, and don't let the door hit you on the way out!" he said to cheers. The sincerity of that claim, however, depends upon one's definition of a "special interest." Kerry has been criticized for proclaiming himself to be a foe of lobbyists and special interests although, according to...