The Daily Muck

Only one officer, Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan, was charged with a crime as result of the mistreatment and torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Jordan was convicted last year on a single charge of disobeying orders not to discuss the Abu Ghraib investigation, but he has now been cleared of all responsibility for that crime. Jordan was never involved in any of the abusive practices carried carried out in the prison. (Washington Post)

A new survey by the World Health Organization concludes that 151,000 Iraqis have died from violence following the U.S. invasion and that 9 out of 10 of those deaths resulted from U.S. military operations, insurgent attacks, and sectarian warfare. The study also found a 60% increase in nonviolent deaths. The good news is that the death toll is one-quarter of the number given by Johns Hopkins University’s study in 2006. (Washington Post)

Given Democrats’ objections to the NSA’s warrantless eavesdropping and the White House’s insistence on immunity for telecoms that executed the NSA program, the Bush administration is seeking a temporary fix to keep the program alive beyond its February 1 expiration date. A permanent settlement seems unlikely because while the Senate could push through a bill with immunity, the House is moving in the opposite direction. (Newsweek)

The Justice Department has begun an internal inquiry into possible favoritism in the process it uses to choose outside lawyers to monitor out of court settlements. The inquiry began after the department learned that several contracts had been awarded to former Justice Department officials, including a no-bid contract for former Attorney General John Ashcroft worth between $28 million to $52 million over 18 months. (New York Times)

Florida law enforcement needs Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) support in their investigation into former Representative Mark Foley’s (R-FL) sexually explicit electronic messages to pages. Without Pelosi’s help, investigators may not be able to access the government owned computer equipment that Foley used for his extra-curricular activities. In August, House lawyers had denied access to investigators, citing constitutional exemptions. (ABC’s “The Blotter”)

On the second day of an inquiry into a shooting incident that took place last March in Afghanistan, three marines and an Afghan translator testified that their convoy came under fire after being attacked by a car bomb, leading some marines to return fire. A former sergeant testified yesterday that the convoy had not come under fire. (Los Angeles Times)

The FEC announced that it collected over $5.5 million in penalties in 2007, the second largest total in its history. The total includes $1,000,000 from MZM Inc. and Mitchell Wade, $775,000 from America Coming Together, and $750,000 from Progress for America. (FEC)

President Bush has reaffirmed that “all options are on the table” in regard to Iran’s “threat to world peace.” The Treasury Department has imposed new economic penalties on Iran, as well as a Syrian-based television station and several militants associated with Iran. Meanwhile, the administration concedes that attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq from alleged Iranian sources have declined. (New York Times)