The Daily MuckLawyers for Ali al-Marri, a detainee held at the Navy brig in Charleston, South Carolina, will assert in court papers that al-Marri was systematically abused and informed that there were numerous videotapes depicting the FBI and Defense Intelligence Agency’s handling of him. In a related matter, Defense Department officials are reviewing interrogations at military facilities from Iraq to Guantánamo Bay, and have found approximately 50 tapes, including one that depicts a detainee being forcibly gagged. In February, Seton Hall Lawâs Center for Policy and Research reported that it had discovered “new evidence of a longstanding government practice of recording interrogations at Guantánamo Bay,” suggesting that “the two CIA tapes that were destroyed were only a tiny fraction of perhaps 24,000 recorded interrogations.” (Washington Post, New York Times, Seton Hall University School of Law)
The White House’s Office of Management and Budget proposed a new rule last year that obligated contractors to report waste or fraud they encountered in government contract work. However, the rule has a loophole that exempts such mandatory reporting on foreign soil. (Washington Post)
Two detainees at Guantanamo Bay were captured and imprisoned as juveniles. Mohammed Jawad was captured when he was 16 and Omar Khadr was captured when he was 15. The detainees’ lawyers are asking for leniency but Military prosecutors say that there is no provision for juvenile status under the 2006 war-crimes tribunal laws. (AP)
Despite high profile support for an earmark moratorium, any measure banning lawmakers’ ability to fund home-state projects is likely to fail. The Senate will likely reject the moratorium today and even Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who initially seemed supportive of reform, has tempered her support. Meanwhile, The Hill reports that “congressional candidates in tight races, from Alaska to New York, are vowing to pursue earmarks despite the intensifying movement against pet projects.” (Washington Post, The Hill)
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, in concert with ranking members of the Subcommittee on Oversight, asked Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin J. Martin to provide e-mails, memos, handwritten notes, records on all hires, personnel reassignments and meeting schedules from the past three years as part of a deepening investigation into alleged mismanagement at the FCC. Committee members informed Martin that they are concerned about “management practices that may adversely affect the commission’s ability both to discharge effectively its statutory duties and to guard against waste, fraud and abuse.” (Washington Post)
Two airplanes identified in a November 2006 EU report on the “alleged use of European countries by the CIA for the transport and illegal detention of prisoners” along with two other planes thought to be affiliated with the CIA, have recently refueled at Shannon Airport in Ireland. While the purpose of the flights is not clear, a recent report by the Irish Human Rights Commission states that “assurances by the US and Irish governments that rendition flights have not landed at Shannon are not sufficient for Ireland to meet its human rights obligations” and calls for planes refueling at the airport to be searched. (Limerick Leader)
House Republicans are calling for an investigation of the parliamentary tactics involved in the passage Tuesday of a bill creating the Office of Congressional Ethics. House Democrats held open a “procedural vote preceding final passage of the resolution, known as ‘ordering the previous question,'” for twelve minutes beyond the normal fifteen, “as leadership pressed four Members to change votes and provided the majority a narrow victory.” (Roll Call)
The Institute of Medicine will review a report on the health effects of pollution in the Great Lakes region, the publication of which has been held up by a dispute between federal health officials. One of the study’s co-authors accuses the Bush administration of trying to suppress the report, arguing that it has already passed the necessary review process. (New York Times)
Almost half of all Americans mistakenly believe that the death toll of U.S. soldiers in Iraq is 3,000 or fewer. Only 28 percent realize that the death count has reached almost 4,000. The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press also reports that Americans’ general knowledge about conditions in Iraq has rapidly declined in the last 8 months, perhaps because “coverage of the war has been virtually absent,” comprising approximately 1 percent of the news in the week of February 17 to February 23. (Washington Post)
Steve Mendell, the president of Westland/Hallmark Meat Packing Co., informed the House Oversight and Investigations subcommittee that his company may have put “downer” cattle (cows too sick to stand up) into the U.S. food supply. In February, Westland/Hallmark recalled 143 million pounds of ground beef (much of it was already consumed). Though Mendell stated that video testimony of “downer” cows slaughtered in kill boxes did not raise a “food safety issue,” he admitted that he would not consume meat from a cow slaughtered in that manner. (Chicago Tribune)
