The Daily Muck

The Secretary of the Interior has put forth a new plan intended to free his department from scandals associated with Steven Griles and with the Klamath River. However, the initiative is already suffering setbacks; the chair of the newly formed Conduct Accountability Board has already quit, and career staff are complaining that the plan makes no effort to curb political appointees, who have been the source of corruption. (PEER)

A grand jury investigation has concluded that local officials from the Jurupa Community Services District illegally sold land to Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) by not first offering the land to other public agencies. (The Press-Enterprise)

The House has blocked the President’s request to grant more power to the obscure Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. The request would have given political appointees greater power over how government regulations are written. (Associated Press)

Some Senate Republicans have expressed willingness to go along with charges of contempt over the White House’s blanket application of executive privilege to information regarding the firing of U.S. Attorneys. Sen. Leahy has given the White House a deadline of July 9th before a vote of contempt would be held. (The Hill)

The good news is the bald eagle is recovering from its low population numbers. Unfortunately, at the rate things are going, it might be the only endangered species to survive the Bush administration. (LA Times)

More on the Iraq embassy: the challenges of constructing in a war zone is leaving officials worried that the new structure will be exposed to dangerous security flaws by the time it is completed. (Washington Post)

If you work at the State Department, we hope you enjoyed your 4th of July break. In order to catch up on the current passport backlog, it might be the last time State Department officials will see the light of day for the next eight weeks. Even junior diplomats are getting in on the action. (NY Times, Washington Post)

Arlen Specter has reintroduced a bill that would ban presidential signing statements. (Think Progress)

The Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy may finally be closing its doors following the loss of its president (Italia Federici) and its largest financial backer (Jack Abramoff). (The Hill)