Obama Holds Concert....

Politician's Son Indicted over Palin's emails
The son of a Democratic politician has been indicted over the hacking of US Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin's e-mail account. At a court in Knoxville, Tennessee, David Kernell, 20, pleaded not guilty to gaining unauthorised access to Mrs Palin's Yahoo account. Prosecutors say he posted some of the messages and her password online. Mr Kernell, an economics student at the University of Tennessee, is the son of state congressman Mike Kernell. His father denies having anything to do with the hacking incident. The indictment charged Mr Kernell with accessing Mrs Palin's account, gov.palin@yahoo.com, after correctly answering a series of personal questions. Mr Kernell had turned himself in "as soon as we found out about the charges," according to his lawyer, Wade Davies, who spoke to reporters after the federal court hearing. Mr Kernell faces a maximum of five years in prison if convicted plus a $250,000 (£145,000) fine and three years of supervised release. Mr Kernell was released without bail, but limits were set on his computer use.


Palin Stands Guilty of Charge!
In a related development, the running mate of US Republican presidential candidate John McCain has been found guilty of an abuse of power, according to a state legislature probe. Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin was accused of sacking a senior state official over a family feud. But the McCain-Palin campaign team said that the report showed Mrs Palin acted within "proper and lawful authority". The report could have an impact on Republican hopes of winning next month's US presidential election. "I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110 (a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act," investigator Steve Branchflower concluded in the panel's 263-page report. Mrs Palin has always denied any wrongdoing, and her supporters say the charges were motivated by her political opponents. "This was a partisan-led inquiry run by [Democratic candidate Barack] Obama supporters and the Palins were completely justified in their concern," a McCain campaign spokesperson said.


Obama Hosts Benefit Concert
Multi-platinum recording artist and five time Grammy Award winner John Legend has joined the line-up for a benefit concert for Democratic party presidential nominee Barack Obama at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom on Thursday, October 16, it was announced today. The historic benefit concert, scheduled for the day following Senator Obama's final debate with Republican party nominee Senator John McCain, will include performances by Legend's Columbia Records labelmates Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. The concert marks the first time Legend, Springsteen and Joel have ever performed at the same event. Legend, who endorsed Barack Obama earlier this year, premiered "If You're Out There," a new song from his forthcoming album Evolver during a set at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado in August. A call-to-action and evocation of human potential, "If You're Out There" reflects the themes of hope and change, responsibility and leadership, and commitment to a better tomorrow expressed in the principles of Barack Obama and the hearts of the American people.