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Rudy’s adviser has a special touch with kids. Just months after Monsignor Alan Placa, a priest, “ was accused of sexually molesting two former students and an altar boy and told by the church to stop performing his priestly duties,” Giuliani asked him to join his consulting firm. The priest, who officiated Giuliani’s second wedding (#2 was Donna Hanover), is still employed by Giuliani Partners. Giuliani has stated, “I know the man; I know who he is, so I support him.” (ABC, “The Blotter”)

Another addition to our great list of disappearing information! The White House removed scientific references from Congressional testimony by the Centers for Disease Control that pointed out the potential health risks of climate change. A CDC official speaking on condition of anonymity asserted that the CDC report “was eviscerated.” Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) has called for the immediate release of the uncut CDC statement. (LA Times)

Monday’s mistrial in a terrorism case against an Islamic charity is reflective of its low conviction rate in terrorism cases since 9/11. Critics say the government has been using bad judgment by bringing weak cases and relying on stale evidence. But a former federal prosecutor said failures are due to the fact that juries “are demanding strict proof” these days in terrorism cases. (New York Times)

Led by California, more than one dozen states are preparing to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for its dismal record on regulating greenhouse gas emissions. N.Y. Governor Eliot Spitzer has called for states to “step into a void created by a failure of federal action” and denial of the “scientific evidence” about global warming. States are hoping to remove EPA obstacles that limit the states’ ability to regulate emissions standards. (NY Times)

President Bush claims to be tightening the budget as he prepares to leave office, but he will nonetheless depart as the biggest spender since LBJ. Discretionary spending soared in Bush’s first term by 48.5 percent and has hardly slowed since. According to McClatchy, the standards set by Bush, make Reagan look like a “tightwad.” (McClatchy)

The Government’s terror watch list has grown to 755,000 names. Experts claim that the size of the list undermines its usefulness. And no word yet on whether the FBI can even access the list since only one third of employees at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have internet access at work. (USA Today)

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