The Daily Muck

Based on a figure from the RAND Corporation calculating around 20 percent of U.S. troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, as well as established suicide rates for patients with similar conditions, the National Institute of Mental Health is worried the number of suicides among returning veterans might eclipse the amount killed in Iraq. The Pentagon did not dispute these claims. (Associated Press and Bloomberg)

An internal audit of the State Dept. found that as many as 400 employee laptops from the Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program are missing. The unit is designed to help train and provide equipment for foreign police, intelligence and security forces. The department is now scrambling around its Washington offices to take inventory of all registered laptops. (Congressional Quarterly)

The FBI, the IRS and federal prosecutors around the country are teaming up to investigate whether some mortgage lenders willingly accepted falsified income profiles from borrowers. The task force, first formed in January to examine 14 mortgage companies involved in localized activity. The inquiry has since expanded its reach to well-known operations like Countrywide Financial Corporation. (New York Times)

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders is ordering an investigation into whether defense firm Blackwater misrepresented itself when filing city permits to begin building a compound in Otay Mesa. Sanders said in a memo to the city’s chief operating officer that Blackwater may have used fake or misleading names in order to mask their identity. The city authorized a permit for Blackwater in March without a public hearing to Raven Development Group. Blackwater used its “known affiliates” when making the bid says company VP Brian Bonfiglio. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

According to a lawsuit filed by state Attorney General Jay Nixon, Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt (R), or one of his top aides, ordered the destruction of backup e-mail records to evade state open-records requests. The lawsuit stems from a former attorney of the governor’s office, Scott Eckersley, who claims he was fired for bringing the e-mail purging to light. (Associated Press)

In 2001 and 2002, Herley Industries was awarded a contract to supply the U.S. Air Force and Navy with radar system components. But the company has admitted blocking audits of bids and withholding financial data from the U.S. since then and is required to pay $9.5 million in fines to the government. (USA Today)