July 21, 2011 journal, the indestructible Fox Titanic is sinking Great Britain and America. Dead bodies are now showing up from the fallout with resignations in Scotland Yard and more arrest with Fox skimmers/scammers surfacing now being accused of hacking police. Jail Rupert Murdoch as an enemy combatant and solve the problem. Share Madoff's cell. I see no problem with the budget if we just stop paying Congress, stop paying billions to Israel, discharge our vast military, ground the misguided dreadful predator drones. Stop paying all foreign aid, cut federal judges' salaries by 80 percent the same as Medicare has cut the doctors pay and take away the entitlements of public servants like the president. I say stop all retirement checks of federal & state government employees, let everyone live on the same pay by Social Security which is not a part of the federal government budget. There should only be a single payer system treating everybody the same and Medicare should include dental care and they should pay the entire bill. Away with fancy insurance paid for by the working people. Have one system for everybody health and retirement. "How Murdoch Reporters' Bribes to British Cops Violate US Law-Jake Bernste.in, ProPublica: "News International Limited, the British arm of the Murdoch empire, is a subsidiary of News Corp., a publicly traded American company which also owns the Wall Street Journal and Fox News (not to mention the Sunday Times of London, the Times of London, and the British tabloid the Sun). Because of this, experts say, News Corp. & all its subsidiaries come under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a Watergate-era law which makes it a crime for U.S. companies to participate in bribery abroad." Murdoch's Political Money Trail-The media mogul has used cold cash to sway politicians and lobby regulators. Laura Colarusso reports on his efforts to influence U.S. policy. For most of his colorful career, Rupert Murdoch has had friends in high places. As the News of the World phone-hacking scandal has made clear, he and his lieutenants hobnob with such high-level British politicians as Prime Minister David Cameron. But Murdoch's influence reaches far beyond the shores of the United Kingdom-and that influence has come with a steep price tag. Over the past decade, Murdoch & his company News Corp. have spent close to $50 million sowing the seeds of goodwill here in America through well-heeled lobbyists, seven-figure political donations, and large charitable contributions to key nonprofit groups. Murdoch's money trail can be traced deep into the halls of Con-gress & the powerful federal agencies overseeing the industry that has made him wealthy. News Corp. is "well into the upper echelon of entities" trying to influence the federal government, says Dave Levinthal, editor of OpenSecrets.org, a website that catalogues special interests' spending. Its biggest weapon? Lobbying, by far. The company has dispensed more than $42 million since 2001 trying to curry favor with lawmakers and regulators. That amount has steadily climbed since News Corp. and i.ts affiliates paid out a relatively paltry $1.8 million in 2001. It was also the year when Murdoch began his quest to acquire a majority stake in DirecTV, a satellite network that would help expand his distribution. The deal stalled, thanks in part to Sen. John McCain, who warned that it could lead to a troubling consolidation of power in one company's hands. But by 2003, News Corp. had bumped up its lobbying budget to about $2.8 million-and the Federal Communications Commission had cleared the way for the purchase. The next big bounce came in 2006, the year the FCC began reevaluating its band on one company owning both print and television outlets in a single market. That year, News Corp. spent $4.2 million on lobbying, as relaxing those guidelines would make it easier for Murdoch to snatch up multiple media properties. (In the 1990s, Murdoch had to battle the bureaucracy to obtain a waiver from the FCC to own both the New York-based Fox station and the New York Post, which he had earlier been forced to sell.) "The vast majority of Murdoch's money goes to Republican candidates and causes. In 2010, News Corp. donated an eye-popping $1.25 million to the Republican Governors Association and $1 million to the Chamber of Commerce." Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO of News Corporation, is surrounded by media as he arrives at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 7, 2011 in Sun Valley, Idaho., Scott Olson / Getty Images. More recently, the company has spent around $5.3 million a year to push its agenda. In 2010, News Corp. used some of its bud-get to urge congressional Republicans to keep the federal government from intervening in its negotiations with the Cablevision franchise in New York over its attempt to double the fees charged to broadcast News Corp. programming, which led to a temporary blackout. A spokeswoman for Murdoch and News Corp. did not respond to a request for comment. Beyond lobbying, Murdoch and his company have made millions of dollars in political contributions. (Murdoch himself has given more than $130,000 in the last decade. News Corp. has given about $1.7 million.) Though he makes no secret of his right-leaning views and has generally backed political conservatives on both sides of the Atlantic, Murdoch's donations over the years have often been less ideological than opportunistic. Murdoch has personally given money to Sens. John Kerry and Chuck Schumer, two of the most liberal Democrats in the Senate. He even held a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's Senate reelection campaign, which reportedly netted $60,000, while personally giving $2,100 to the cause. The vast majority of Murdoch's money, however, goes to Republican candidates and causes. In 2010, as the GOP was trying to retake the House, Senate, and several state houses, News Corp. donated an eye-popping $1.25 million to the Republican Governors .Association and $1 million to the Chamber of Commerce. The move angered some shareholders, who demanded more transparency from the company. As the News of the World imbroglio grows, more attention is being paid to that second seven-figure gift because the chamber has been advocating for reforming the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act-the very law the Justice Department could use to pursue News Corp. executives for the phone-hacking scandal. Few on Capitol Hill wanted to talk about Murdoch's sway, but Melanie Sloan of Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics says it's "clearly outsized" when compared to others. "Money is a big factor," says Sloan, CREW's executive director. "But it's amplified when you combine it with their megaphone. Positive exposure on Fox News is worth a lot." Murdoch has also sought to curry favor through charitable gifts, though he isn't known for being particularly philanthropic. (A 2008 Portfolio magazine piece ranked him dead last on a list of 50 billionaires in terms of giving.) Nonetheless, he is listed as a "notable member" of the Clinton Global Initiative, reportedly contributing $500,000 to combat climate change. Other recipients of Murdoch's largesse include Cornell University's medical school, which pocketed $3.3 million, and the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the environment that received $250,000 from the billionaire. "This is not a one-trick organization," says Levinthal. "They wage their political battles using a variety of weapons." With reporter R.M Schneiderman. Like The Daily Beast on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for updates all day long. Laura Colarusso is a reporter at The Daily Beast. She previously worked as a senior news editor at Talking Points Memo. She has also written for The Boston Globe, The Star-Ledger (Newark), AOL and New Jersey Monthly Magazine. For inquiries, please contact The Daily Beast at editorial@thedailybeast.com. News Corporation, U.S. Politics, News of the World". comments- Kat1194 Hours Ago-Murdoch is near the top of the pyramid of Malicious Dark Intent = world domination, control via financial slavery and fear, fear, and more fear. Murdoch is Manhattan deeply into AIPAC...his ultra money mogul family. First you buy up the key gov't law makers-Congress-Parliament etc. and then you control the worldwide media, every layer and aspect of it ... et Voila!! you rule the World, Wars, policies...name it. Evil doing and the Devil Himself are falling before our eyes in warp speed. Here is ti Invincible Justice, rodtanner37-Not that I disagree, but shouldn't we also blame the politicians who are so willingly and easily bought, and the vast majority of Americans who seem to believe democracy is the responsibility of others, and so jealously guard their right to remain uninformed & disengaged? Farallon-As the plethora of British documents giving support to the illegal actions of NoW and NI are landing ex-executives in jail, suspicions are circling David Cameron. Rupert Murdoch, as well as the Arab Prince and many U.S. politicians must be working hard to limit the damages by the tidal wave they know is heading towards America. Wouldn't it be nice to see some ethics and freedom of the press in mainstream media! Sanderson-"Murdoch is the perfect cell-mate for Bernie Madoff." ArtsieAng-Murdoch & hopefully Fox is next! Here's Murdoch cutting off Fox News anchor who asks about the News of the World scandal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0nN_snrOtk&fea... Here's Fox news covering the News Corps scandal by complaining about the media "Piling On." Ha, just too funny! : Here's Murdoch donating large amounts of cash to the US Chamber of Commerce who are fighting against anti-bribery laws. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/07/15/h... http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201107150003 AdelaRogers-The FOX news segment that addresses "the hacking scandal" is the most ludicrous piece of video I've ever seen. To juxtapose their parent company's U.K. subsidiary's bugging of and spying on ordinary people, celebrities, and lawmakers in order to sell papers with computer cyber-hacking is an egregious abuse of a journalistic platform. The intent is obviously to confuse and mislead their viewers without actually informing them of any facts. Thanks for the great 'link' re: 14 Propaganda Techniques. . . neversaynever-Here's your answer, America has always been right of center and will always be (even if we let the minorities to continue to run the place) ...take your blinders off and look at a red and blue states map ... You only claim the cesspool of poverty in the large cities like NY and LA .. Its America, you can choose right or left .. I choose free-dom of "MY" choice, I believe in people, I believe in States Rights, I believe in family, I believe in God , I dont need your government telling me how to raise my family, what to eat or car to drive, I won't live in a socialist state, Finally, Obama the man that said I will be a uniter has totally divided us .. he wins ...we the Tax payers lose, now we have his Rich vs the Poor, haves vs the have nots, the employed hard working people vs the welfare state, North vs South, right to work states vs Unions and Yes Mr. Obama Black vs White .... Guess thats where we finally landed after 2 1/2 years of the Progressives running the country, we should all be so proud .... those who died for this country (including my Dad) died in vein ??? one last statement to you college boys/girls ....knowledge is good, no doubt about it ... but experience and common sense is light years ahead and they can't teach that in schools, so you defend a system you have only read about and been influenced by your Professors one sided views, remember you have not served, you have not held a job, you have not voted (maybe once), you haven't raised a family, you have not owned a business and hired employees, you have not built a home, all you have done is borrow my money (remember poor people do not pay taxes) to go to school... you have changed America and your going to have to pay the Bill ...Enjoy what's left of the greatest country on earth and do not forget to call home (Washington DC) for instructions on how to live the rest of your life....Ta Ta. The corrupt sleazey media idealog billionaire has used his media monopoly and wealth to corrupt and manipulate politics and policy in the USA too? Checkerboard Strangler-The United States is finished if Murdoch gets a free pass. Make no mistake about it, he intends to OWN both sides of the Atlantic. kognyc-News Corp., is the world's second-largest media conglomerate (behind The Walt Disney Company) as of 2010 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_corp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_corp#Holdings AdelaRogers@never, Wow. where to begin? Since you are apparently either a paid "cons-ervative-cause" poster or simply an uninformed, inflamed, FOX-fed individual, do take the time to review this article: 14 Propaganda Techniques Fox 'News' Uses to Brainwash Americans. You can find it HERE. You may need to read it twice or more before the information sinks in, but as FOX "News" knows, repetition is the key to believing. Seeing Clearly in SCYesterday-It is hard to determine the backgrounds of various posters here. I will note that the rightwingdings may not understand the brave new world they seem to wish for. Rupert does, and that world will make him richer and more powerful. The Repubicans are for those with money and power who want more money and power. These are usually successful corporate managers. Some people have enough money that they do not (need to) lust for more money. This latter type are usually very successful entrepreneurs and many times are also dems. I started at a very large corporation out of college and a few years later I left to freelance. This was all very good money until my father suggested I return to be a corporate employee. I returned to where I had started and after being in several divisions and becoming the go-to guy for the development of huge entirely new products, I retired very well, thank you. I learned a few things along the way: 1. If your face doesn't fit, you had better git. 2. If you don't support your superior unquestioningly, you are likely disloyal. 3. Management will keep you as long as you are useful and loyal... but see 4. If you or your spouse have developed an expensive health problem, management has ways to push you out the door so that you will not be eligible for retiree medical & drug benefits. Management doesn't want unhealthy people to retire on the company dime. Obama's big push was to implement medical insurance without allowing insurance companies to reneg on covering your claim because you have pre-existing medical conditions. Joe Liberman did screw this up a bit. Preexisting medical conditions is a fancy way of saying you can pay premiums and have medical insurance as long as YOU DO NOT FILE A CLAIM. If you file a claim, you are OUT! Insurance companies are in the business of collecting premiums. Paying claims is a business cost, and should be avoided if at all possible. Think carefully about what future world YOU can survive in. Insurance companies and Medicare can get as much as an 80% discount on medical bills that without a significant discount would bankrupt you." End of public comments