A federal judge ruled Monday that Vice President Dick Cheney will have broad say over which of his office’s records get preserved under the Presidential Records Act. The ruling could complicate investigators’ efforts to piece together the Vice President’s involvement in certain Bush-era scandals such as the handling of Guantanamo detainees and the exposure of Valerie Plame’s secret identity. (Associated Press)
The latest in a financial fraud story reminiscent of James Bond: regulators were warned about Marcus Schrenker — the investment manager who attempted to fake his death in an airplane crash by parachuting out mid-flight — in at least three states where he did business. Although the earliest complaint was filed in 2002, investigators failed to act until suspected losses reached into the millions of dollars. (Associated Press)
And in another case of a fugitive money manager, Arthur Nadel vanished the same day his six hedge funds were expected to deliver a $50 million payout to investors. The only thing investors received were very real doubts about the existence of their savings. (Associated Press)
In his last act of clemency, President Bush has pardoned two U.S. Border Patrol agents who shot an unarmed drug smuggler in 2005 and tried to cover it up. The men will be released within two months after serving less than a year of their 10-year sentence. Anti-immigration activists had lead a vigorous effort to obtain a pardon for the two. (Associated Press)
Portland, Oregon mayor Sam Adams has admitted to having sexual relations with a male teen in the summer of 2005. Although the two initially denied rumors that their relationship was sexual, Adams, who is openly gay, and the boy, who had just turned 18, now acknowledge that it was. It does not appear that Adams broke any laws. (Associated Press)
