nobody s going to say, you don t have any vacation days left. yes, i do. and, good morning, i m tony harris. those stories and your comments right here right now in the cnn newsroom. the embattled by defiant new york congressman charlie rangel publicly defending himself against ethics charges. tuesday he passionately spoke out in the house against the wishes of the democratic leadership. hey, if i was you, i may want me to go away, too. i am not going away. the ethics committee won t even tell me when i m going to have a hearing, and, heck, people are concerned about me. i m 80 or so, i don t want to die before the hearing. there was fancy political foot work at new york s plaza hotel. take a look at this. he drew a big crowd for his 80th birthday celebration which doubled as a fund-raiser. practically every big name democrat showed up. the house ethics committee act cruises him of 13 violations, failing to report rental income on vacation property in the caribbean