Weekly Wrap: The Good, Bad and Ugly

Good: The Senate has started to undo the damage wrought by the House GOP.

• Senate Budget Chair Gary Nodler plans to use about $915 million in federal "budget stabilization" money, several hundred million more than was included in the House version.
• The Senate has given preliminary approval to a plan that would cover about 35k poor Missourians, along the lines of a proposal put forward by Gov. Nixon.
• Our fingers are crossed for more good news from the Upper Chamber.

Bad: The FBI is investigating legislators at the Capitol.

• You may have heard this already, but the FBI is looking into pay-to-play at the Capitol.
• Some lawmakers have been talking to investigators for months. At least one lawmaker said he had recorded private conversations.
• This was news to Speaker Richard, Floor Leader Tilley and Speaker Pro Tem Pratt.
• "We're not aware that a crime has occurred" may be my new favorite carefully crafted denial. Which may not actually be a denial of anything short of the bulletproof "awareness of a crime" that comes with a jury's conviction.

Ugly and Uglier: Crazy Eddie said that his lawsuit against the SOS, AG and Auditor is intended to be a "nuisance." And Crazy Eddie said that Robin Carnahan is under the spell of Satan.

• Ed Martin admitted to a crowd of supporters that he's abusing the court system to be a "nuisance" to Carnahan and the SOS office.
• It remains to be seen how things will shake out vis a vis Martin and some pretty clear ethical guidelines about frivolous lawsuits.
• It also remains to be seen how the anti-tax warriors are Eddie's team feel about Martin's wasting of taxpayer dollars.  All of those judges, lawyers and clerks who have to deal with his nonsense aren't free, you know.
• Robin Carnahan is "the devil," an agent of the devil or under the power of the devil.  Who knew?
• Crazy Eddie is also very excited about that whole Bernie Madoff fraud thing too.
• Classy guy, that Eddie.

Other

• The Senate Commerce Committee passed a bill to allow AmerenUE to charge ratepayers for the construction costs of a second nuclear plant.
• Roy Blunt was planning to challenge Kit Bond next year. Or something like that.
• Peter Kinder is still peddling his dishonest op-ed on the MIAC report. Enough already.
• Cynthia Davis and her dentist are soldiering on to get Barry Soetoro out of the White House. 
• Sarah Steelman's bid for Congress was over before it started. (Still funny.)
• Congratulations to Rick Puig for winning the prestigious Truman Scholarship.
• Scott Murphy and Jim Tedisco are tied. Unreal. Who says one vote doesn't count?