The Daily Muck

The Justice Department is pursuing the leak from government officials to The New York Times‘ James Risen. A former government official called before a grand jury regarding the case has confirmed that he was shown phone records that prove some in the government had conversations with Risen as he was reporting on the CIA, as well as the National Security Agency’s program of warrantless eavesdropping. The department is pursuing the sources for Risen’s book “State of War,” and articles he wrote for the Times. (New York Times)

The Bush administration has plans to implement a new advanced domestic spying system, employing technology formerly used for the likes of mapping and disaster response. Congress has responded critically, claiming that there’s no proof that the program will not be used to violate citizens’ privacy. The Department of Homeland Security wants to use the program for enhanced satellite imagery and chemical detection, among other monitoring abilities. (Washington Post)

Bill Clinton’s charity, credited with raising millions for causes like disaster response and poverty relief, is now accused of accepting funds from a Chinese Internet company closely associated with the Chinese government. Alibaba Inc., now running Yahoo in China, carried a government-mandated post on the Yahoo China homepage calling for citizens to point out any Tibetan activists involved in the recent riots. This comes after Clinton’s wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, has called for President Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies of the upcoming Beijing Olympics. (Los Angeles Times)

Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), used public financing to send a letter to constituents to denounce the vote by Berkeley, California’s city council (2,000 miles away) that called for a shunning of military recruiters in the city. The $3,113 for the mailers has been called illegal by those deeming it a campaign tactic. (Orlando Sentinel)

Federal prosecutors are urging that legal proceedings at Guantanamo Bay speed up. Pentagon officials have voiced disappointment at the slow pace of cases as the number of detainees facing charges mounts. (New York Times)

Two former officials at the Army Space and Missile Defense Command in Huntsville, Ala., have pleaded guilty in federal court for accepting bribes from defense contractors. The officials were found to have directed earmarks to select subcontractors. (Wall St. Journal)

Weeks after his resignation, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson is under fire for pushing legislation that would have made it easier for lenders to supply loans to risky borrowers, as well as ignoring warnings from HUD officials that his actions were “ill-advised policy” as a national housing crisis emerged. (Washington Post)