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Security of Electronic Voting Is Condemned
“Paperless electronic voting machines used throughout the Washington region and much of the country ‘cannot be made secure,’ according to draft recommendations issued this week by a federal agency that advises the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

“The assessment by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, one of the government’s premier research centers, is the most sweeping condemnation of such voting systems by a federal agency.

“In a report hailed by critics of electronic voting, NIST said that voting systems should allow election officials to recount ballots independently from a voting machine’s software. The recommendations endorse ‘optical-scan’ systems in which voters mark paper ballots that are read by a computer and electronic systems that print a paper summary of each ballot, which voters review and elections officials save for recounts.” (WaPo)

U.S. Rates Travelers for Terror Risk
“Without their knowledge, millions of Americans and foreigners crossing U.S. borders in the past four years have been assigned scores generated by U.S. government computers rating the risk that the travelers are terrorists or criminals.

“The travelers are not allowed to see or directly challenge these risk assessments, which the government intends to keep on file for 40 years.

“The government calls the system critical to national security following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Some privacy advocates call it one of the most intrusive and risky schemes yet mounted in the name of anti-terrorism efforts.” (AP)

U.S. Authorities Probe How Smartmatic Won Venezuela Election Pact
“Federal investigators are looking into whether Smartmatic Corp., a voting-machine company whose equipment is used widely in the U.S. and abroad, paid bribes to win a Venezuela election contract in 2004.

“Smartmatic’s actions already are under a separate investigation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., which reviews foreign acquisitions to see if they pose national-security concerns. In 2005, Smartmatic, which is owned by Venezuelan investors who split their time between Caracas and Boca Raton, Fla., purchased a U.S. voting-machine company, Sequoia Voting Systems Inc. Cfius is looking at whether that acquisition should be reversed on national-security grounds.” (WSJ)

Pat Roberts May Be Leaving Senate Intelligence Committee
“Republican Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas is preparing to leave the Senate Intelligence Committee after an intense four years as chairman, according to Senate officials.

“Roberts has been a lightning rod for partisan criticism throughout his tenure, which began just weeks before the United States invaded Iraq in March 2003.

“The Intelligence Committee, once noted for bipartisan collegiality, was increasingly swept into the maelstrom of vitriol surrounding the intelligence that led to the Iraq war, the Bush administration’s domestic surveillance program and the treatment of suspected terrorists in custody.” (McClatchy Newspapers)

Sen. Specter: NSA Oversight Would Be ‘Ideal’
“The Bush administration is unlikely to allow the incoming Democratic majority in Congress to learn details about its domestic spying program and interrogation policy, a Republican senator said on Thursday.

“Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, who has criticized the Bush White House’s secrecy about national security issues, said he would welcome detailed congressional oversight of the National Security Agency’s warrantless eavesdropping. . . .

“‘I look forward to what will happen next year on that subject. I have grave reservations as to how successful we will be here, given the administration’s unwillingness to share those secrets,’ he said.” (Reuters)

Metro Recommends No Charges in Gibbons/Mazzeo Case
“Metro police are recommending no charges be filed against newly elected Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons. This comes following accusations that he assaulted a local cocktail waitress, Chrissy Mazzeo, outside a restaurant just two weeks before the general election.

“Investigators with Metro say the department spent nearly 800 hours investigating the accusation. That included interviewing 44 people and reviewing hours of surveillance tape from a parking garage near the restaurant.

“Metro says their efforts uncovered no evidence to support the charge of battery. The case is being submitted to the Clark County District Attorney’s Office for review.” (KVBC Las Vegas)

FEC to Pols: Blow Whistle on Yourself
“The Federal Election Commission on Thursday took steps to encourage politicians and contributors to report their own possible violations of campaign finance laws by offering them significantly reduced fines.

“Commission officials said the number of self-reported violations has increased recently, prompting the need for a specific policy that spells out how the FEC will dispose of such cases….

“The proposal contains two penalty recommendations for violators who voluntarily blow the whistle on themselves. One would reduce civil penalties by 50 to 75 percent of standard fines, depending on the steps taken to report and correct the violation. Another would set the reduction at 50 percent, but give the commission leeway to lower or increase the discount based on mitigating factors.” (AP)

Treasury Undersecretary’s Dual Roles Raise Questions

“Robert K. Steel is a Washington oddity. He holds two high-powered jobs, one inside and the other outside government.

“As the new undersecretary of the Treasury in charge of domestic finance, Steel supervises thousands of federal employees and helps oversee the nation’s multi-trillion-dollar financial markets. At the same time, he moonlights as the unpaid chairman of the Board of Trustees of Duke University, a major recipient of federal funds and one of the country’s most richly endowed colleges.

“Experts say it is rare for a senior executive branch official — in this case a Treasury official ranked just below the department’s No. 2 — to hold a significant position outside government.” (WPost)

Judge Limits Phone Jam Damages
“A judge yesterday limited the scope of damages the state Democratic Party can seek in its “phone-jamming” lawsuit against state and national Republican committees, but not to the extent that the GOP defendants had sought.

With a trial set to begin on Monday, Superior Court Judge Philip Mangones ruled the Democrats can seek damages that extend beyond the mere loss of service suffered when a telemarketer hired by the Republican State Committee jammed its get-out-the-vote telephone lines the morning of election day 2002.” (New Hampshire Union Leader)

Why the Ghost of Tom Foley Haunts the Democrats
“The House of Representatives may not always fulfill its claim to be the “people’s body,” but it’s a fine specimen of human nature. Each time a new coterie of politicians arrives, earnestly carrying the banner of reform, it soon finds itself succumbing to the grubbier seductions of the place. Among the K Street corporate mouthpieces, you’ll find plenty of erstwhile Watergate Babies and Republican Revolutionaries. And it’s not just idealists fall. Every time a political party indulges the temptations that accompany majority power, the electorate predictably boots it back to the perkimpoverished minority….

“When Congress returns in January, it will take up reforms backed by Pelosi. These will include banning gifts and travel paid by lobbyists, forcing lobbyists to fully disclose their activities, and requiring members to identify some ‘earmarked’ provisions in budget proposals. But these worthy measures hardly address the root causes of House corruption. They are palliatives, not cures.

“Any truly serious reform would begin by lessening the opacity of the legislative process. Under current rules, House and Senate members from the Appropriations Committees can insert obscurely worded measures in the federal budget without debate–indeed, without other members even aware of them. These “earmarks” then become part of the final conference report that the House and Senate votes up or down.” (TNR)

According to Director, FEMA Doing Well, But No Outside Confirmation
“Federal Emergency Management Agency director David Paulison, chosen to head the troubled disaster-relief agency in the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina debacle, said Thursday it has made huge strides in the 15 months since the historic storm.

“Paulison, a former firefighter picked by President Bush to rebuild FEMA’s ability and reputation, pointed to a series of organizational and procedural changes that are designed to clarify the roles of the various federal, state and local agencies during a disaster and to speed relief to those stricken.

“While Paulison was bullish on the changes at his agency, which was roundly criticized for its failures during Katrina, there has been little independent evaluation of FEMA’s new actions to improve its response.” (McClatchy Newspapers)

10,000 Get Grant Letters on Rebuilding in Louisiana
“In a sign of painstaking progress for Louisiana’s biggest rebuilding program, the state has sent letters to more than 10,000 families stating how much money they can receive to rebuild their homes under the $7.5-billion housing program Congress financed this year, state officials said yesterday.

“But fewer than 50 families had actually collected the money as of Tuesday, prompting renewed concern among homeowners and some government officials about the pace of the program, which is called the Road Home and is widely considered the most important factor in rebuilding areas damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.” (NY Times)

Ex-CIA Worker Pleads Guilty in Thefts
“A fired CIA employee has admitted breaking into 10 homes near the agency’s headquarters and stealing jewelry including Camp David cufflinks, Cartier earrings, a Tiffany ring and a sapphire-diamond necklace.

“George C. Dalmas III, 48, pleaded guilty Wednesday to the burglaries, which each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Dalmas, a mid-level administrator who joined the CIA in 1986, was suspended in February, when the charges were filed, and fired in August. He admitted to robberies beginning in October 2005.” (AP)

Immigration Official Pleads Guilty to Falsifying Documents
“A Department of Homeland Security supervisor pleaded guilty yesterday to pocketing more than $600,000 in bribes in exchange for falsifying immigration documents to help Asian immigrants obtain U.S. citizenship.

“Prosecutors said Robert T. Schofield issued fake documentation for hundreds of immigrants during an eight-year scheme he ran out of his Fairfax County office. Schofield, 57, was a supervisor for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which processes immigration applications, until he resigned in the past two weeks.” (WaPo)

Former Judge Appointed to Stem Patronage
“A federal judge approved a plan Thursday meant to root out widespread political patronage in Cook County government, where having a sponsor with clout has long been the key to getting on the payroll.

“U.S. District Judge Wayne R. Andersen, who appointed a federal monitor to oversee hiring practices at Chicago City Hall last year, named a retired circuit judge, Julia M. Nowicki, to monitor how county jobs in departments overseen by the county board president are handed out.” (AP)

Judge Strikes Down Bush on Terror Groups
“A federal judge struck down President Bush’s authority to designate groups as terrorists, saying his post-Sept. 11 executive order was unconstitutional and vague.

“Some parts of the Sept. 24, 2001 order tagging 27 groups and individuals as “specially designated global terrorists” were too vague and could impinge on First Amendment rights of free association, U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins said.

“The order gave the president ‘unfettered discretion’ to label groups without giving them a way to challenge the designations, she said in a Nov. 21 ruling that was made public Tuesday.” (AP)

Rep. Hunter Still Disputing $667 Property Tax Bill
“Rep. Duncan Hunter readily acknowledges he was luckier than many; all he lost in the deadly Cedar fire three years ago was his house in Alpine and everything in it.

“Now, as contractors put the final touches on the reconstruction project and the congressman and his wife prepare to move home, Hunter is working to lower his taxes on the 5-bedroom, 6.5 bathroom retreat.

“For more than a year, Hunter has been disputing back taxes levied on the 2.7-acre property. He continued his fight even after the San Diego County assessor’s office agreed to reduce the bill to $667 from $4,936.” (San Diego Union-Tribune)

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