Sen. Ted Stevens’ (R-AK) Son Gets Fined
The Alaska Public Offices Commission recommended that outgoing state Senate President Ben Stevens be fined $10,170 — the maximum penalty — for “failing for three years to disclose the names and payments of six clients of one of his consulting firms.” But with a federal bribery investigation bearing down on him, that’s the least of his problems. (Anchorage Daily News)
Junketing for Charity
The ethics package recently unveiled by the Democrats has a major shortcoming: the new rules “will allow non-profit arms of controversial lobbying organizations” to continue funding travel excursions, and thus do little to prevent non-profits and PACs from continuing exerting influence. (Raw Story)
Republicans Take One More Swipe at Sandy Berger
Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-VA) issued a report that former Clinton national security adviser Sandy Berger’s theft of National Archives materials was much more damaging than has been disclosed (contrary to what the Justice Department found, and that it led to the 9/11 commission receiving “incomplete and misleading” information. (WaPo)
Pentagon Agrees to Privacy Changes
Spurred by a lawsuit filed last year by the New York Civil Liberties Union, the Defense Department agreed to no longer share high school students’ information from a military-recruitment database with “law enforcement, intelligence and other agencies,” and to stop compiling the students’ Social Security numbers. (AP)
“Data-Mining” for Terrorists May Target Innocent Citizens
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) says he plans on examining federal data-mining programs on Wednesday, in his first hearing as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. (McClatchy)
MSNBC: U.S. Army Ignoring Effective Israeli Anti-RPG Weapon
An Israeli-made weapon named Trophy has proven in tests that it is 98% effective at intercepting rocket propelled grenades, one of the deadliest weapons used by insurgents in Iraq, but the U.S. Army is refusing to test it further: the Army has already paid $70 million to Raytheon to develop such a system from scratch. (NBC)
