The Daily MuckRep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ), following months of battling scandal that has prompted an FBI investigation, has decided not to seek reelection. Here are all of Renzi’s highlights. (Arizona Star)
U.S. House Officials still won’t allow investigators access to Mark Foley’s computers, but they have told the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that there are no sexually explicit photos on the former lawmaker’s hard drive. Of course, the investigators wanted to look for inappropriate emails from Foley, but I suppose that is still reassuring information. (Associated Press)
The secret’s out. Private telecommunication companies did in fact play an integral role in the NSA warrantless surveillance program. We just thought we’d bring it up again, seeing as the man who informed the country is the same one who said openly discussing the program would cost American lives. Thanks, Mike Mcconnell. Democrats, towards whom some of McConnell’s attacks were leveled, were duly shocked that the intelligence chief would be so cavalier in discussing information that was, well, classified. (Boston Globe)
The U.S. is preparing to scan all containers that enter the country at their port of origin. Never mind that the 11 million annual containers represent 95% of the imported goods, or that an evaluation of the scanning technology two months found it was accurate only half the time, its a step. In some direction, at least. (USA TODAY)
I can’t believe there are still stories to write about FEMA trailers. Roughly one thousand families in Louisiana are asking FEMA to move them out of the trailers in which they are currently still living. Because despite the evidence that these trailers are dangerous, despite allegations that FEMA tried to cover up the reports, despite the fact that FEMA has finally agreed not to use any more of the formaldehyde-lined homes, the agency has still not taken steps to actually get people out of the government-provided hazardous trailers. (Associated Press)
It only took two decades, but Congress has finally killed funding for the DP2, a protoype plane designed to take off vertically that to date crashes on a third of its test runs. The Defense Department will be pleased, as they haven’t been asking for money for the project for years. But Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) has for years been convinced that the $63 million was well invested (the plane is also built and researched in his district), as he has been the source of the earmarks that have kept the project alive. (ABC’s The Blotter)
