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Environmental Protection Agency officials are pushing back against a Bush administration plan that would change how pollution is measured near national parks and and would cease to make pollution violations illegal. Regional directors of the agency say the new rules pander to coal mining companies and would allow underestimations of toxic gas levels. The EPA will decide on the issue this week, but an appeal would flip the decision to the Obama administration, which is likely to be more pro-environment. (Washington Post)

The Pentagon will file new charges against a high-profile Guantanamo detainee it says conspired in the 9/11 attacks. In May, a military court dismissed the charges against Mohammed al-Qatani, who was stopped trying to enter the U.S. just days before the September 11 attacks, without explanation. Defense lawyers at the Pentagon see the move as an effort to “tie the new administration’s hands,” in the words of one. Obama has promised to close the camp. (New York Times)

TPMMuckraker bids farewell to Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), after absentee ballot counts gave Democratic contender Mark Begich an insurmountable lead. Stevens, who celebrated his 85th birthday Tuesday, was convicted in October of concealing $250,000 worth of gifts on financial disclosure forms. (Stevens has said he will appeal after the sentencing in February.) He had served in the Senate since 1968, where he earned a reputation for a fiery temper and his finesse of the federal earmark system. With Stevens out, the Democrats now will be assured of at least 58 seats. (Washington Post)

Will troubled insurance giant American International Group, the recipient of $150 billion in federal aid, award bonuses to its executives this year? New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo sent a letter to CEO Edward Liddy demanding that the company, which has made headlines this fall for its lavish executive trips, disclose its payments. On Sunday, Goldman Sachs led Wall Street firms with the announcement that its top executives would forego bonuses this year, a reflection of the economic climate — not to mention heightened public scrutiny. (AP)

Massachusetts state Sen. Diane Wilkerson (D), caught on camera three weeks ago stuffing cash up her shirt, was indicted Tuesday for accepting bribes, including more than $20,000 to secure a liquor license. Wilkerson, the subject of an 18-month federal investigation, will step down when her term expires in January. She faces up to 20 years in prison. (Boston Globe)

N.J. state Sen. Wayne Bryant was found guilty Tuesday of 12 counts of bribery, bringing the number of Garden State legislators convicted of corruption since 2001 to five. Bryant was found to have directed millions of dollars to a local university in exchange for a $35,000 salary for a job that involved no work. He could face 15 years in prison. (AP)

R.I. Gov. Don Carcieri will pay $2,500 to settle an ethics complaint relating to his hiring of a niece to work in his constituent affairs office. The state has already slapped Carcieri with fines for accepting free New England Patriots tickets, filing a late financial disclosure form, and “illegally soliciting state employees for campaign donations.” (AP)

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