The Daily Muck

The Nation reports in harrowing detail on the rape of Lisa Smith (a pseudonymn), who worked as a paramedic for KBR in southern Iraq. A KBR supervisor told her to shut up about the brutal rape and the camp’s military liaison officer also instructed her to keep quiet. (The Nation)

The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers has joined forces with the American Civil Liberties Union to launch an $8 million program to defend at least seven Guantanamo Bay detainees. The two organizations believe that the Pentagon has failed to provide adequate resources to military defense lawyers and that the military tribunal process permits convictions based on “secret evidence, hearsay and confessions derived from torture.” (New York Times)

The chairs of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the oversight and investigations subcommittee want Environmental Protection Agency documents to determine if the the chemical industry has improperly influenced expert review panels convened by the EPA. Richard Wiles of the Environmental Working Group called it a “landmark investigation” that “has called into question the ethics of the entire industry.” (Washington Post)

Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit hears the case of Huzaifa Parhat. Parhat is a Chinese Muslim who was detained in Guantanamo Bay for six years. While he never took arms against the United States, U.S. military officials say Parhat was associated with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a militant group that demands separation from China. The U.S. has deemed the group a terrorist organization to, some analysts say, appease the Chinese government. (Salon)

Because the Federal Elections Commission has four vacancies among its six seats, the FEC is unable to uphold existing campaign laws and implement new ones. A new rule intended to provide more transparency about lobbyist fundraising cannot take effect until lawmakers’ “standoff” about the committee’s composition is resolved. (Washington Post)

As the Bush administration “edges toward full-blown, war-crimes trials by military commission” at Guantanamo Bay, defense lawyers and the U.S. military are arguing about what facts may be reported about the trials and even what defendants may say in trial. The rules of the military court will not permit Khalid Sheik Mohammed to testify that he was waterboarded, despite the fact that CIA director, Michael V. Hayden publicly confirmed this on Feb. 5, 2008. (McClatchy)

According to the Washington-based Center for Responsive Politics, many members of Congress have a lot at stake in the Iraq War. Financial stake that is. Congressional lawmakers collectively have up to $196 million invested in companies doing business with the Defense Department. Barack Obama and John McCain did not report any such holdings in recent financial reports. Hillary Clinton did, but parted with the stock in May 2007. (AP)

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has signaled that he may opt for public financing this fall. His campaign will return $3 million in campaign contributions made towards his general election campaign. This recent move, however, is merely procedural. (Boston Globe)

Whistleblower testimony has revealed that supervisors at the Federal Aviation Administration allowed dozens of potentially unsafe planes (one had a crack on the fuselage) to return to the skies. Representative James Oberstar (D-MN) fears that “complacency may have set in at the highest levels of FAA management,” “reflecting” a “carrier-favorable, cozy relationship.” (Chicago Tribune)

Attorney General Michael Mukasey and top Bush administration officials have attacked Senator Arlen Specter’s (R-PA) “Free Flow of Information Act” (a media shield bill) because they believe it could harm national security and foster the leaking of classified information. Defense Secretary Robert Gates joined the fear mongering by asserting that the bill would make America more vulnerable to “adversaries’ counterintelligence efforts to recruit” those shielded by the bill. (AP)

Karl Rove shocks no one, telling GQ that Hillary is fatally flawed, Obama is two-faced and unpatriotic for not wearing a flag lapel pin (even though Rove doesn’t always wear one himself), he regrets not being tougher on Democrats during his reign in the White House and he is scared of the Bush women. (GQ)