So lawmakers take lobbyist-sponsored trips, so what? So a 4-day jaunt to London for Thomas Bliley (R-VA) cost $30k, so what? The Times points out today that even more lucrative than being a member of Congress is working for a member of Congress. Congressional aides got $30 million in sponsored trips over the last couple years, beating their bosses by $10 mil. MORE »

This just in: Junkets look really boring. MORE »

There is, apparently, some sort of Bentonville County Fair going on at Wal-Mart HQ. They’re calling it “Media Eduction” or “Please Write Favorably Of Us For Once Day” (the first one sounds ominous enough, actually…). They’ve invited a couple bloggers to liveblog (sort of) the proceedings, and it sounds like quite a treat: MORE »