Harper, Nunnelee file for election

Republican Congressman Gregg Harper has filed to run for reelection to his Third Congressional District seat.

Republican state Senator Alan Nunnelee has filed to run against incumbent Democratic Congressman Travis Childers in the First Congressional District seat.

Henry Ross Announces Plans for 1st District Run

Desoto Times Tribune - Ross tosses hat into First District race

Henry Ross, former mayor of Eupora, assistant district attorney and circuit court judge, has announced his plans to run for U.S. Representative in the First Congressional District.

He is expected to officially announce his candidacy after the first of the year.

Ross, a Eupora native, attorney and former U.S. Department of Justice official, will face Alan Nunnelee in the Republican primary election, in the bid to defeat incumbent Democrat Travis Childers in the general election.

"In my travels across the First Congressional District, I have found that the people want somebody who is not wanting to move up or have a second career," Ross said.

"They want a real conservative to restore God-centered government. They want someone who will fight to strengthen their family's security and someone who believes in fiscal responsibility."

Tuesday Roundup

Y'all Politics - Gregg Harper addresses MSU grads

Majority in Mississippi - Childers Still Relying On Populist Appeal

AP - Childers: Farmers face emergency

Calhoun County Journal - Childers Meets With Farmers In Vardaman

Y'all Politics - Gene Taylor one of 27 who voted against Wall Street regulation legislation

Bennie Thompson Investigations

Washington Post - House Homeland Security Committee faces ethics inquiry

New York Times - Rules for Congress Curb but Don’t End Junkets

New York Times Editorial - From the Alps to the Pits

Respond Mississippi from Delta Democrat Times - DDT: Thompson puzzled by investigation

TalingPointsMemo - Party Favors: House Staffers' Event Planning Biz Specializes In Bashes For Top Dem Rep

Madison County Journal - Thompson's ethics investigations

Travis Childers, Gregg Harper updates

Y'all Politics - Democratic Financial Reform Bill - Bennie Thompson and Travis Childers "for"; Gene Taylor and Gregg Harper "against"

AP - Childers plans to lead crop damage tour

Meridian Star - Gregg Harper: “I believe health care reform should help states, families and small businesses address the problem of skyrocketing costs, not raise premiums for private policy holders and burden states with unfunded mandates.”

Gene Taylor Questions Gates on Afghan Corruption, Narcotics

The New York Times - Obama Aides Pressed on Afghan Graft, Al Qaeda

In a second hearing, Representative Gene Taylor, also a Democrat, questioned how the administration could be serious about tackling corruption and drugs in Afghanistan without addressing the alleged role of Ahmed Wali Karzai, the president's brother, in the drug trade.

"I'm just not going to talk about that in open session. We are dealing with a sovereign government," Gates said.

Taylor insisted, "Someone from the State Department admitted before this committee that it was true."

Gates responded: "Well, we have problems with him. There's no question about it."

"We are putting tens of billions of dollars into Afghanistan, and too much of it is ending up with sticky fingers along the way," added Gates, a former CIA director.

The New York Times reported in October that Ahmed Wali Karzai received regular payments from the CIA. The agency would neither confirm nor deny the payments.

Watch it here.

Bennie Thompson Investigates / Bennie Thompson Investigated

Chairman of Homeland Security, Bennie Thompson, is investigating the gate crashing of Tareq and Michaele Salahi at the recent White House state dinner honoring the prime minister of India and may issue a subpoena for their testimony. Thompson said. "We're not concerned about agency embarrassment. The security gaps at issue cannot be explained away as missteps by a few frontline employees. There were undeniable planning and execution failures of the entire Secret Service apparatus. We're all fortunate that this diplomatic celebration did not become a night of horror. We must dissect every fact...and after we do these things, we need to give thanks that no lives were lost."

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports that Bennie Thompson is being investigated for holding hearings on the credit card industry, and then after receiving $15,000 in campaign contributions, failing to act on those hearings. A former aide makes accusations about improper lobbyist requests, as well. Thompson's staff denies any misdoings.

Video asks why didn't Gene Taylor vote to kill the health care bill

This video from iCaucus.org acknowledges Gene Taylor voted against the health care bill, but notes that less than 20 minutes earlier he had a chance to kill the bill on a procedural motion and voted in line with Nancy Pelosi. It also discusses how Taylor voted against TARP but voted for the GM/Chrysler bailout. It is painfully long at seven and a half minutes.

Monday Digest

Respond Mississippi - Obama, Childers...I want my money back

Bennie Thompson supports publicly funded congressional campaigns.

Travis Childers opposes Democrats's health care bill.

Gregg Harper votes to extend unemployment benefits.

Gregg Harper introduces online voter registration legislation.

Laurel Leader Call - Residents send Rep. Taylor the ‘pink slip’

WLOX - Jones County residents protest health care reform

Bennie Thompson does Delta USDA tour.

Election Updates: MS01 and MS04

Majority in Mississippi - MS-01: Huckabee Endorses Nunnelee

Y'all Politics - Former Eupora mayor Henry Ross considering testing Nunnelee for Childers seat

Majority in Mississippi - Ross Still Interested In MS-01

Hattiesburg American - Tegerdine to take on Taylor

JoeTegerdine.com - 15 County Sprint

Bennie Thompson's Reading List

The Hill asks Bennie Thompson what he likes to read.

What magazines do you read regularly?
North American Hunter. Mississippi Game & Fish.

What books have most influenced your political philosophy?
The Autobiography of Malcolm X. All the King’s Men. George Orwell’s 1984.

Which author do you most often reference?
I usually reference politicians, like Woodrow Wilson and Lyndon Johnson.

What are your favorite novels of all time?
All the King’s Men.

Gregg Harper on 10.2% unemployment: "disturbing" numbers,