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Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R) has asked the Senate Ethics Committee for permission to create a legal expense fund to help pay for costs related to his legal defense. Stevens was recently indicted on seven felony counts of failing to report more than $250,000 in gifts and home repairs. If granted, individuals and political action committees will be allowed to contribute up to $10,000 to the expense fund. (McClatchy)

The trial of a former U.S. marine charged with war crimes in Iraq begins today. Jose Luis Nazario Jr. is charged with the voluntary manslaughter of four unarmed Iraqi detainees during the fighting in Fallujah in 2004. He is the first person to be charged under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, a law written to allow the prosecution of civilian contractors and former members of the military who commit war crimes overseas. (AP)

House Oversight Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) issued a subpoena yesterday for documents related to the EPA’s enforcement of the Clean Water Act. Earlier this month, Waxman had sent a letter to the EPA setting a deadline that passed last week for the documents. (House Oversight Committee)

Former Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), who was recently released from a halfway house after being convicted of accepting bribes in the Jack Abramoff scandal, said in an interview Wednesday that no bill can stop lobbyist abuse in Washington. Ney served 17 months of a 30 month sentence and will soon go on the air as a radio commentator. (The Hill)

The Army social services coordinator who reported on the mold infestation at Fort Still’s unit for injured soldiers has been removed from duty. The coordinator, Chuck Roeder, was previously ordered not to speak about conditions at the Fort. Many soldiers have spoken out about his forced removal, saying that he had helped save soldiers’ lives. (USA Today)

The President of a Service Employees International Union chapter in L.A., Tyrone Freeman, has taken a temporary leave of absence amidst reports that the organization has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars on projects run by friends and relatives. Freeman denies any wrongdoing, but has agreed to step aside to “ensure that any investigation of the allegations is fair and free from any question of interference or influence.” (LA Times)

Erik Prince, CEO of Blackwater, and Mia Farrow had a business breakfast last month in New York to discuss possibly working together for Darfur. Farrow has long been an advocate for Darfur refugees while Blackwater has recently been targeted by the Justice Department over a shooting incident in Iraq. In response to critics skeptical of Blackwater, Farrow claimed that, “Blackwater has a much better idea of what an effective peace-keeping mission would look like than Western governments.” (ABC Blotter)

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