The Daily Muck

An arcane section of a bill passed last December grants special rights to just three crab fishing companies. All of them have heads who have made substantial contributions to Representative Don Young (R-AK), and two of the three also have ties to Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK). According to the watchdog group Public Citizen, the earmark is “typical of Don Young-style legislating” – it “smacks of political favoritism, sidestepped the normal process for changing federal fishery rules, wasn’t subject to a public debate or hearing, and was inserted into a major bill at the last minute.” (Anchorage Daily News)

Representative Bob Filner (D-CA) was scheduled for trial this week over allegations that he assaulted an airline employee at Dulles. But Filner has avoided the public spectacle by entering an Alford plea to trespassing, which means that Filner does not admit guilt but acknowledges that sufficient evidence existed for a conviction. (New York Times)

The Army is retrofitting 1 million combat uniforms because soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan reported “crotch durability problems.” Ripped inseams can be a serious distraction for an unlucky soldier, and Army officials promise the new pants will be more durable. (USA Today)

The lawyer for former defense contractor Brent Wilkes asked a federal judge late last week to approve subpoenas for journalists who reported on the case. A jury convicted Wilkes of bribery, conspiracy and fraud earlier this month, but Wilkes continues to profess innocence, and now his lawyer is arguing that news stories based on alleged grand jury leaks prejudiced the jury against his client. (ABC Blotter)

Choose your favorite “Lottism” from Politico’s the quotable Trent Lott. Our favorites (it’s so hard to choose just one) include, “sometimes I feel closer to Jefferson Davis than any other man in America” and “racial discrimination does not always violate public policy.” (Politico)

For a fun recap of how Justice Department officials and Henry Waxman’s (D-CA) Oversight Committee have been piling on the State Department for its poor handling of Blackwater, check out this AP story. (AP also has a companion roster of key players). (AP)

Supreme Court justices will decide next week whether Guantanamo detainees have the right to challenge their imprisonment in court by seeking a writ of habeas corpus. The justices had declined to hear the case at first, but then reconsidered in an unprecedented order in June. (USA Today)