The Daily Muck

Rudy Giuliani is the only Republican candidate who remains involved in private business and recent scrutiny of his relationships has raised serious questions about his judgment. The New York Times reports that Rudy’s firm Bracewell & Giuliani has lobbied Congress for legislation that President Bush believes is a threat to anti-terrorism efforts in Africa. One state department official noted that Bracewell & Giuliani’s lobbying is harmful to a relationship with an ally. (New York Times)

Brent Wilkes, recently convicted of bribing former U.S. Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, will not be able to subpoena reporters and government officials regarding grand jury leaks. Wilkes argued that the leaks deprived him of his right to a fair trial but a federal judge ruled that leaks had “no material affect on the verdict.” (AP)

In the wake of September 11, Congress created a $1 billion insurance fund (The World Trade Center Captive Insurance Company) to cover the claims of sick workers. Now, the inspector general for the Homeland Security Department is looking into why the fund “has chosen to litigate all claims instead of settling whenever possible.” (AP)

In April 2007, William Winkenwerder Jr. left his government job as assistant secretary for health affairs at the Department of Defense (DOD). On September 25, his new employer, Logistics Health, despite bidding $100 million higher than others, won an $800 million contract from the DOD – a contract written by the office Winkenwerder had managed. Check out Salon’s report on this revolving door pork. (Salon)

A Canadian judge has ruled that because of the U.S. government’s policies on torture, interrogation, detention, and refugees, Canada can no longer turn away refugees from the U.S. Because the United States can’t be regarded as a safe place for refugees, the judge has nullified “an existing U.S.-Canada agreement saying that if a refugee is turned away from one country, he or she cannot seek refuge in the other.” (ABC, “The Blotter”)

The Government Accountability Office is questioning U.S. assertions about the growing independence of Iraqi security units (Iraqi Security Force units deemed “independent” or “fully independent”) because the reports are often based on conflicting claims or assessment methods that do not allow for “independent” ratings. This finding calls into question some of General Petraeus’ assertions to Congress in September. (Reuters)

King Downing, the top American Civil Liberties Union Official charged with combating racial profiling, is suing the Massachusetts Port Authority in court. Downing, who is black, claims that the behavioral screening used at a Boston airport was racist and illegal. (AP)

Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA) faces fines and penalties topping $800,000 for leaking an illegally taped phone call in 1996. The call, which he leaked to a reporter, involved discussions among Republicans about the ethics charges against then Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA). (AP)

Update: Links fixed.