The Daily Muck

Three out of eight defendants in the supposed plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airplanes were convicted in London Monday of conspiracy to commit murder. However, none of the defendants was convicted of the more serious charge of conspiracy to use liquid explosives on airplanes. The alleged terrorist plot was uncovered in August 2006. (New York Times)

Former Haliburton executive and KBR chief Albert Stanley has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors after pleading guilty last week to bribery for deals in Nigeria. Federal officials believe that Stanley’s cooperation could lead to further indictments in the oil industry in cases involving the bribery of foreign governments. (ProPublica and PBS’ Frontline)

Vice President Dick Cheney is being sued by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington [CREW]. The liberal watchdog group is seeking a court order to ensure that Cheney complies with the post-Watergate Presidential Records Act and eventually releases records publicly. CREW’s lawsuit expresses the concern that Cheney will try to skirt the law by claiming he is not a member of the executive branch. (AP)

Soon-to-be-ousted Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been given a September 18th deadline by city officials to leave the mayoral residence. Kilpatrick resigned last week after pleading guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice. Detroit City Council President Ken Cockrel Jr. is set to replace Kilpatrick as mayor on September 19. (AP)

The United States military admitted that new evidence contradicts its account of a recent airstrike in Afghanistan, and has promised a new investigation into the attack. The U.S. had initially estimated that only seven civilians were killed in the airstrike, contradicting reports by the U.N. and Afghan government, which found that up to 90 civilians were killed. The new evidence reportedly includes cell phone videos taken after the attack that show dozens of dead civilians. (AP)

The corruption trial of Alaska state senator John Cowdery has been delayed until January 2009 as lawyers on both sides try to navigate through 11 months of wiretap evidence and thousands of documents. Cowdery is accused of scheming with Veco executives to buy votes, part of the larger federal investigation into corruption in Alaskan politics that has led to the indictment of Sen. Ted Stevens along with Veco executives Bill Allen and Rick Smith. (Anchorage Daily News)