All Blog Posts from Political Hotsheet

Politics Today is CBSNews.com's inside look at the key stories driving the day in politics, written by CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:

** Tallying the jobs saved by the Recovery Act...

** Health Care reform still a tough battle...

** More than 30 politicians face ethics investigations...

PRESIDENT OBAMA TODAY: The Recovery and Transparency Board will release its reports detailing how the economic stimulus plan's funds have been spent through Sept. 30 and how effective the plan has been in terms of job creation, with the White House claiming the plan "has created and saved at least 1 million jobs." More on that below...

President Obama, meantime, meets with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss Afghanistan and Pakistan "in one of the final steps before deciding whether to send thousands more US troops to war," writes Agence France-Presse's Stephen Collinson.

"Obama invited the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the heads of the branches of the US armed services, to the secure White House Situation Room to hear their input on his war plan and deliberations on troop numbers, officials said.

"He will hold the meeting a day after his poignant visit to witness the return to home soil of fallen Americans from Afghanistan, after which he said the heavy sacrifice of US soldiers was weighing on his decision-making...

"Expectations are mounting that Obama could reveal his answer to McChrystal's request before he leaves for an eight-day trip to Asia on November 11. But he is believed unlikely to reveal his decision whether to reinforce the 68,000 US troops in the country before the Afghan run-off election on November 7."

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Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) will keep his chairmanship of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, after Republicans failed to pass a resolution Wednesday to remove him from the leadership position.

The House voted 246 to 153 to refer the resolution to the House Ethics Committee, which is already investigating Rangel.

The resolution chastised Rangel for allegations of improper and potentially illegal conduct relating to his personal finances and fundraising. The congressman has denied any wrongdoing. The Ways and Means Committee is responsible for tax law.

Wednesday's resolution was the third targeting Rangel that Republicans offered in the House this year. Two Democrats -- Gene Taylor and Travis Childers, both of Mississippi -- voted against Rangel, while six Republicans sided with the Democratic chairman: Peter King of New York, Walter Jones of North Carolina, Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania, Ron Paul of Texas, Dana Rohrabacher of California and Don Young of Alaska.

The two Democratic votes against Rangel "show that support for the Democratic leaders' decision to sweep this matter under the rug is starting to crack," said Michael Steel, a spokesman for Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio).

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said earlier Wednesday that any action before the Ethics Committee completes its work would be premature.

Rangel's Dubious Accounting

A longtime member of Congress is under investigation for assisting a bank to which she had personal connections get federal bailout money, a congressional ethics panel said this week.

The House ethics panel is investigating Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) after she arranged in 2008 for a meeting between OneUnited Bank executives and Treasury officials, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Waters' husband, Sidney Williams, was a member of the bank's board until last year, the newspaper reports, and had investments in the bank worth at least $350,000.

The bank received $12 million from the federal government's Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Waters, who serves on the House Financial Services Committee, has defended her request for the meeting as part of her efforts to advocate for minority-owned businesses, the Los Angeles Times reports. She reportedly said that she disclosed her husband's ties to the bank and that her influence had nothing to do with the bailout.

The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), however, claims Waters did not disclose her financial ties to OneUnited Bank when she contacted the Treasury Department to arrange the meetings. The group says Treasury officials claimed they only arranged the meeting after hearing from Waters, even though the bank had requested meetings before.

The investigation has landed Waters on CREW's "15 most corrupt members of Congress" list.

South Carolina's attorney general is reportedly requesting an investigation into whether Gov. Mark Sanford violated state ethics laws through his use of state planes, or by other means.

State Attorney General Henry McMaster sent a letter Thursday to Herb Hayden, executive director of the state Ethics Commission, according to the Associated Press.

"This is to request the South Carolina Ethics Commission to investigate these allegations involving the use of state planes and any other potential violations of the State Ethics Act," McMaster wrote, the AP reports.

The request follows a report from the AP that Sanford used state planes for personal travel, in violation of state budget law. Additionally, a probe by the state legislature showed that Sanford broke state law by using taxpayer dollars for business and first-class commercial flights, rather than more economical flights.

In an op-ed published in local newspapers on Thursday, Sanford said the accusations took his use of state planes out of context and that he actually used the state plane less than previous governors did.

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South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford may be off the hook with his Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer, who says he will stand by Sanford for the remainder of the governor’s term. But the embattled Republican, who this week acknowledged an extramarital affair with an Argentine woman, is far from in the clear.

The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) have filed a complaint against the governor claiming that he may have violated South Carolina law. The group is asking for an investigation by the South Carolina Attorney General and the State Ethics Committee into the use of state resources for Sanford’s trips to Argentina.

“The only sound decision Gov. Sanford appears to have made recently was to resign his post as chair of the Republican Governors Association,” CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan said in a statement. “Why is the governor incapable of leading the RGA, but still fit to lead the state of South Carolina? Clearly, Gov. Sanford should resign, but whatever he does, it is incumbent upon South Carolina’s Attorney General and the State Ethics Commission to hold the governor accountable."

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