The Daily Muck

The former chief executive of security contractor KBR has pleaded guilty to charges of bribing foreign officials. Albert Stanley paid Nigerian officials $182 million and in return, received contracts to build a $6 billion liquefied natural gas complex. Stanley faces a prison term of up to 7 years, and the SEC is considering an additional civil action against the firm. KBR is a former subsidiary of Hallburton. (New York Times)

Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is close to making a plea deal that would resolve months of uncertainty about the indicted mayor’s future. Prosecutors expect Kilpatrick will make a guilty plea this morning. Kilpatrick has been indicted on eight felonies, including perjury. If Kilpatrick is convicted of any one of these felonies, then he will automatically be expelled from his office. (AP)

Federal judge Samuel Kent pleaded not guilty today to two counts of abusive sexual conduct and one count of aggravated attempted sexual abuse. The judge is accused of attempting to force a deputy court clerk to have oral sex, among other incidents of sexual coercion. Kent called the charges “flagrant” and “scurrilous” and promised “a horde of witnesses” in his defense. (AP)

A report by government scientists on a controversial toxic chemical appears to contradict recent reports by the FDA. The National Toxicology Program found “some concern” that bisphenol A [BPA], a chemical used in plastics, alters behavior and the development of the brain and prostate gland in children and babies. The FDA found two weeks ago that people are not endangered by exposure to BPA. BPA is used in thousands of consumer products. (USA Today)

Executives of a Florida Power company gave Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle (D) almost $24,000 shortly before Doyle softened his stance on nuclear power, according to a report by Wisconsin Democracy campaign, a watchdog group. Doyle had been an opponent of nuclear power until August, when he suggested he would be willing to study the option, citing concerns about global warming. Doyle has denied that the contributions played any role in his decision. (AP)

A Nevada Ethics Commission has concluded that there is no evidence that Gov. Jim Gibbons (R-NV) pressured a tax auditor to grant him a tax break on his property. Democrats had claimed that the tax auditor, Joe Aguirre, had been “backed into a corner” by Gibbons to grant the break. Lawyers representing the Governor argued that “whatever discomfort [Aguirre] felt was purely of his own creation and insecurities.” (AP)