Priests rail at Vatican's upcoming ban on gays Newsday
A pending Vatican instruction barring homosexual men from the Roman Catholic priesthood even if they are celibate is provoking fury and fear among some priests in New York and Long Island, who worry that good men will be scapegoated and the ranks of priests decimated. The instruction, which has not yet been published, is said to "grandfather" gay men who have been ordained. Nevertheless, some men who described themselves as chaste homosexual priests say they are considering speaking against the document, or even resigning.
Expected Vatican Ban Roils American Church Washington Post
Gay Men Ponder Impact of Proposal by Vatican New York Times
Scotsman - ABC News - Danbury News Times - Times Online - all 290 related »

Police: Driver Hit Vegas Crowd on Purpose ABC News
In this photo provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Stephen Ressa is shown in an undated photo. Ressa, the driver of a stolen car who plowed into a crowd of pedestrians on the Las Vegas Strip, killing one and injuring 13, acted intentionally and will face charges of murder and attempted murder, police said Thursday, Sept. 22, 2005.
Car plows into crowd on Vegas Strip Chicago Sun-Times
STRIP TRAGEDY: Police say suspect beat mom Las Vegas Review-Journal
Seattle Times - Houston Chronicle - FOX News - Las Vegas Sun - all 358 related »

Stabenow will oppose Roberts' nomination Detroit Free Press
Sen. Debbie Stabenow said Friday she will oppose the nomination of John Roberts to become the next chief justice of the United States because she is alarmed by his writings and views on fundamental rights enjoyed by Americans.
Panel approves Roberts Newsday
Dayton says he will vote against Roberts Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription)
Salon - Telegraph.co.uk - New York Times - Houston Chronicle - all 2,408 related »

Liberal Potential Candidates Break 4 to 1 Washington Post
With John G. Roberts Jr.'s confirmation as chief justice of the United States all but inevitable, political observers were holding out hope that the bevy of Senate Democrats contemplating a presidential bid in 2008 might add a bit of drama to the proceedings. Would any of the wannabes -- especially front-runner-in-waiting Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) -- break ranks with the party's liberal base and support Roberts? No such luck. Of the five Democratic senators mentioned as potential national candidates, only Russell Feingold (Wis.), a long shot in the presidential sweepstakes, plans to vote "yea" on Roberts. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D), a high-profile interrogator of Roberts during the Judiciary Committee hearings, said he will vote no but acknowledged: "This is a very close call." Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) said he could not "in good conscience" support Roberts; Clinton cited her "desire to maintain the already fragile Supreme Court majority for civil rights, voting rights and women's rights" in a statement explaining how she plans to vote. Even Sen. Evan Bayh (Ind.), from Roberts's home state, came out against confirmation yesterday because "we simply do not know enough about his views on critical issues to make a considered judgment." Feingold is accustomed to bucking his party's conventional wisdom. He was the lone senator to oppose the USA Patriot Act and the only one of the five potential 2008 presidential candidates to vote against the use-of-force resolution on Iraq. Earlier this summer, Feingold won kudos among liberals when he called for a timeline for U.S. troops to leave the country.

GOP: Don't Let Democrats Steele Data
Moving to capitalize on a bit of controversy swirling around Senate Democrats, the Republican House campaign arm sent a memo to GOP lawmakers yesterday warning them of potential searches of their personal credit information. "The purpose of this memo is to advise you to closely monitor personal financial information -- including personal credit reports -- in the wake of these disturbing developments," wrote National Republican Congressional Committee communications director Carl Forti and his deputy, Ed Patru. The developments referred to in the memo concern allegations that two staffers at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee obtained the personal credit information of Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele ®-- a potential Senate candidate in 2006 -- while conducting opposition research in July. Democrats point out that the two staffers implicated were immediately suspended -- and have since resigned -- and the matter was referred to the U.S. attorney's office as soon the committee was made aware of it; Republicans, they argue, are simply trying to score political points. "Two young people made a mistake that the DSCC reported immediately to the U.S. attorney," said DSCC spokesman Phil Singer. "It's sad and unfortunate that the Republicans are playing politics with this incident." Patru responds: "We just want to make sure none of our members fall victim to illegal and unethical Democratic tactics." Partisan point-scoring? Perish the thought.

Senator Moves to Tighten Farm Belt
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) is headed to the Hawkeye State on Oct. 8 to headline "Iowa Taxpayers' Day," sponsored by Iowans for Tax Relief. Brownback, a potential GOP 2008 presidential candidate, will share the speaking bill with conservative radio talk show host Laura Ingraham and Rep. Jim Nussle (Iowa), who is the leading GOP candidate for governor in 2006. The Kansan has made Iowa, staging ground for the first-in-the nation presidential caucuses, his home away from home of late.
GOP chairman: Abraham would make a good Supreme Court choice Detroit Free Press
Sen. Harry Reid is no pushover Seattle Post Intelligencer
Indianapolis Star - Australian - Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription) - Taipei Times - all 2,270 related »

Schwarzenegger's promises hit more roadblocks eTaiwan News
Almost two years ago, Arnold Schwarzenegger made one of his most detailed policy speeches of the tumultuous 2003 recall election. Standing inside the California State Railroad Museum - a visual emblem of the special-interest politics that can dominate state politics - the gubernatorial candidate laid out what he called a "sweeping political reform" agenda to restore public trust in Sacramento. It included a fundraising blackout during budget season, redrawing political boundaries and a vow to veto bills that hadn't been fully vetted in the Legislature.

Nanette Burrell, Geri Jenkins and Lynnanne Chaney, from left, nurses from San Diego County, cheer as actor Warren Beatty speaks during a California Nurses Association gathering on Thursday, in Oakland, California.
Now, as Schwarzenegger campaigns for a special election and a second term, most of his political reform pledges stand as unfinished promises, ideas that were pursued but have withered amid political reality. "The governor continues his commitment to pursue those reforms," said Schwarzenegger strategist Rob Stutzman. "But it's becoming increasingly clear that the way you have to do that is at the ballot box, which would ironically require more fundraising." To some political observers, the governor's plan for political reform is yet another example of how Schwarzenegger said one thing as a candidate and did another in office. Come November, it may feed into voter disenchantment about the man whom many Californians believed was not a regular politician, but perhaps is. Schwarzenegger once famously said, "I don't need to take money from anybody. I have plenty of money myself," and then became a prodigious fundraiser - collecting more than US$6 million for initiative campaigns in July and August alone. He vowed that he would be more transparent and there would be "no more decisions in the dark," but he has learned the value of privately hammering out some major policy decisions in the amber cigar-smoking tent erected near his offices. He declined his state salary so as not to burden taxpayers, but accepted a US$1 million-a-year contract with two muscle magazines (a contract he later ended after its details became public). Issuing lofty public pronouncements is frequently easier than navigating actual policy: Many elected leaders start their terms with grand visions that peter into more modest accomplishments. For Schwarzenegger, a look back at his campaign finance pledges is a window into the politics of the possible. It also shows how he adapts to political obstacles, accepting some and circumventing others. Schwarzenegger earnestly wanted to create political reform, but has only made "tepid" stabs at doing so - most notably by pursuing redistricting this year, said Bob Stern, executive director of the Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles. Many of his proposals have faced opposition from Democrats and Republicans alike. The governor didn't pitch political reform "with his fingers crossed behind his back," said Stern, a former chairman of the state's Fair Political Practices Commission. "But political reality sets in. Circumstances change, and he's very changeable. In a certain sense, that's a good thing. ... But when you're flexible, you also have to contradict what you've said before." In 2005, Schwarzenegger is pursuing a "year for reform" and it includes one of the goals he set out for himself two years ago - having retired judges, not legislators, draw political districts. On the other issues raised in 2003, Schwarzenegger has "zigged and zagged all over the place" said political scientist Bruce Cain, director of the University of California's Washington Center. "To some degree," Cain said, "this election is a referendum on what people think about Arnold's concept of reform."

Recent polls
Two recent polls have shown that Schwarzenegger's approval rating is lodged in the 30s. Large groups think that the man who rails about special interest influence takes money from those interests. Many think he has not been "completely truthful" about the sources of his campaign contributions.

The reality is more nuanced.
Of the five political reform planks Schwarzenegger laid out in 2003, only a government openness measure has been enacted. The governor helped convince lawmakers to place Proposition 59 on last November's ballot and voters approved it. A second concept - a redistricting initiative - is on this November's ballot. Schwarzenegger has championed the measure and this past week began actively campaigning for it, but it lags in early polling. The state Republican party has endorsed the measure, but congressmen of both parties are raising money to fight it. "The irony of this is delicious, if it weren't so pathetic," said former San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery, a Democrat whom the governor has broached starting a bipartisan reform committee. "When do you see people in Washington and Sacramento close ranks and work in a bipartisan manner? Generally when you try and do any kind of redistricting, any kind of restriction on fundraising."

The governor's three other goals are, at best, works in progress.
They included: A fundraising ban during budget season, which typically stretches from January until summer or later; a push for better disclosure of campaign contributions and stiffer penalties for violators; and a vow not to sign bills that are rushed through without full legislative hearings - an attempt to end a common legislative practice of slipping in controversial items with scant notice. The governor has twice tried to pass a bill that would designate certain times of the year black-out times for fundraising, but the Legislature has balked. The governor has previously criticized end-of-legislative-session fundraisers, but he held them this year as he tries to raise US$50 million for the special election. Until a ban affecting all lawmakers is passed, "there's no reason to unilaterally disarm," said Schwarzenegger Press Secretary Margita Thompson. Last month, Schwarzenegger said he would try again next year to enact a fundraising blackout. "I'm going to make sure that it will be introduced again. ... And I know the legislators don't like it, but I will keep pushing." An attempt to change disclosure rules for campaign contributions and increase penalties also withered for lack of support. "Despite the legislature's failure to take action on political reform, the governor remains committed to it," said Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Katherine McLane. Schwarzenegger still looks askance at bills that are rushed through without full hearings, but does on occasion support and sign them - most notably with changes to the workers' compensation insurance system last year. Aides say the governor's preference is to reject most "gut-and-amends," as the bills are known, and they believe the tactic is used less now because of Schwarzenegger's influence. "It's clear that he has set a higher standard than has been possible for him to reasonably meet," said Kathay Feng, executive director of California Common Cause. "It's clear that he needs to work harder to fulfill those promises."

Giving some credit
To Schwarzenegger's credit, political observers say, he has made other efforts at shaking up the influence of money and politics in, and bringing at least a little more openness to, Sacramento. Twice, Schwarzenegger has endorsed an effort to crack down on political consultants who are also lobbyists. This would affect both Democratic consultants and some of his own top advisers. Twice, the effort has died. He has opened up his calendar for public review. And he has set his own rules on acceptable contributors - albeit an evolving one. The governor dropped a self-imposed ban on accepting donations from single-interest trade groups, such as the California Restaurant Association and the California Grocers Association, which have taken part in recent fundraisers. But he has held firm against accepting donations from native tribes and public employee unions, with which his office negotiates. The governor's fundraising committees disclose more information than the law requires, said his chief fundraiser, Marty Wilson. Enacting reform "has to be done step by step," said Hoover Institution fellow Bill Whalen, the chief speech writer for former Republican Governor Pete Wilson. "All these reforms, you can make good arguments for them, but there are bigger fish to fry as far as both parties are concerned."
Beatty rips Schwarzenegger at nurses' convention USA Today
Governor Schwarzenegger Calls the Troops to Battle -- And Brings ... Human Events
San Francisco Chronicle - CBS News - Scotsman - KRON 4 - all 240 related »

Antiwar Protests Commence in Washington Washington Post
Thousands of protesters against the war in Iraq are rallying today in Washington and other US and European cities to demand the return of US troops in what organizers hope will be the largest gathering since the war began more than two years ago. President Bush wasn't around to hear the protesters, assembled just blocks from the White House, although his wife, Laura, was home hosting authors for a long-planned literary festival on the Mall. Bush had flown out of town to assess Hurricane Rita recovery efforts. Vice President Cheney was undergoing surgery at George Washington University Hospital to repair an aneurysm near his knee. Protesters were coming from around the country to the Washington rally, arriving on buses, planes and cars, carrying signs that said "Bush Lied, Thousands Died," and "End the Occupation," among other messages. Organizers hope today's rally and march will draw 100,000 people. The U.S. Park Police canceled all leave to deal with the rally, which comes the same weekend as the twice-yearly meetings in the U.S. capital of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. "We believe we are at a tipping point whereby the anti-war sentiment has now become the majority sentiment," said Brian Becker, national coordinator for ANSWER, one of the main anti-war groups coordinating today's events. Cindy Sheehan, the California mother who drew thousands of demonstrators to her 26-day vigil outside Bush's Texas ranch last month, won a roar of approval when she took the stage before the march. Her 24-year-old son, Casey, was killed in Iraq last year. "Shame on you," Sheehan admonished, directing that portion of her remarks to members of Congress who backed Bush on the war. "How many more of other people's children are you willing to sacrifice? She led the crowd in chanting, "Not one more." The protest march, which is to start at the Ellipse south of the White House, will cross in front of the White House, a few blocks north, and then will traverse the city, finally ending where it began at the Ellipse. Nearby, at the Washington Monument, an 11-hour concert, featuring folk singer Joan Baez, is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. In a hitch for some coming to the protest, 13 Amtrak trains running between New York and Washington were delayed for up to three hours Saturday morning for repair of overhead electrical lines. Protest organizers said that held up thousands coming to the rally. Organizers said around 1 p.m. that the start of march, originally planned to begin at 12:30 p.m., was being delayed until those arriving on the Amtrak trains could make it to Washington. There were unconfirmed reports that more than 350 buses had been delayed as well. Elsewhere, rallies were planned in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Florence, London, Rome, Paris and Madrid. A crowd in London, estimated by police at 10,000, marched in support of withdrawing British troops from Iraq. Violent clashes between insurgents and British troops in the southern Iraq city of Basra in recent days highlighted the need to get out, protesters said.

Weekend of Protests: As many as 100,000 people are expected to take part in antiwar protests in Washington on Saturday.
"Enough is enough," said Lindsey German, an official of the Stop the War Coalition, which organized the London march. "It is now time, once again, for the British people to step forward into the streets and insist that this time we will not be ignored." Counter demonstrations also were planned. Gary Qualls, 48, of Temple, Tex., whose Marine reservist son, Louis, died last year in the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, spoke at a rally near the U.S. Navy Memorial in support of continued U.S. involvement. "If you bring them home now, who's going to be responsible for all the atrocities that are fixing to happen over there?" he asked. "Cindy Sheehan? Also at the rally, put on by Protest Warrior and other groups supporting Bush's policy, demonstrators denounced Sheehan as a mother exploiting her son's death. "If I were to die in Iraq, I wouldn't want my parents to be like Cindy Sheehan," said Army National Guard Spc. Julie McManus, 20, of Drexel Hill, Pa., who was among more than 100 people holding signs. "I'd be ashamed of them." McManus said she drove to Washington with her boyfriend; she wore a white tank top with the words "American Soldier" in black marker. Protesters continued to arrive throughout the morning. At Freedom Plaza, near 13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown Washington, dozens of charter buses were disgorging protests, among them Sister Maureen Metty, 66. Metty stepped off a bus from Kalamazoo, Mich., at 8 a.m., arriving for what she said was her first-ever political rally. She carried a sitting stool, a backpack loaded with snacks, a toothbrush and toothpaste and a message from her fellow nuns -- a sign that said "Sisters of St. Joseph's for Peace." "There were 250 sisters who wanted to be here today, but I'm the one they chose to send," she said. "I believe I'm supposed to be here today. This war is not right." A bus from Lancaster, Pa., brought an eclectic crowd -- gray-haired men in shorts and black socks, grannies with needle-point purses and a young man with facial piercings and aqua hair. Ginny DiIlio, who is in her late 50s, wore a red-white-and-blue shirt that said "Patriots for Peace." "I was marching in '68, and I'm back today," she said. DiIlio was with her husband, George, who said he was new to the protest scene. "She corrupted me," he explained.
Americans, Europeans demand end of Iraq war Aljazeera.com
Anti-war protesters take to US, UK streets Aljazeera.net
Miami Herald - American Chronicle - BBC News - MSNBC - all 568 related »

--------------------
Group Lists 13 'Most Corrupt' in Congress
--------------------

Three California lawmakers are named by the ethics watchdog. A spokesman for one senator says the report is 'pure politics.'

By Chuck Neubauer
Times Staff Writer

September 25 2005

WASHINGTON; A watchdog group, naming what it calls "the 13 most corrupt members of Congress," is calling for ethics investigations of some of the most prominent leaders on Capitol Hill in a report to be released Monday.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...=la-home-nation

Iraq war protesters march in DC World Peace Herald
Thousands of protesters yesterday marched against the war in Iraq, aiming their anger at George W. Bush as they wound through downtown and past the White House. Speakers at a rally on the Ellipse repeatedly called the president a criminal, a liar and a killer. "We'll be the checks and balances on this out-of-control, criminal government," anti-war mother Cindy Sheehan told the crowd. Hundreds of counterdemonstrators lined sections of the march route in support of Mr. Bush and U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. "Hey, Cindy, leave our troops alone," supporters of the war sang, borrowing the melody of a Pink Floyd hit to scold Mrs. Sheehan. The Metropolitan Police Department made several arrests for destruction of property but reported few other problems despite some angry exchanges. Marchers scrawled graffiti along Connecticut Avenue Northwest and spray-painted an emergency vehicle. "We're busy, but nothing we can't handle," said Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey, who walked among protesters using a baton as a walking stick. "Most people who come to protest are peaceful. They don't want any trouble." Police declined to estimate the size of the crowd, but Chief Ramsey, noting organizers had hoped to draw 100,000, said, "I think they probably hit that." The demonstrations began just after 10 a.m. with a rally on the Ellipse and scheduled speeches by actress Jessica Lange, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Ralph Nader as well as Mrs. Sheehan, who seized media attention this summer. Some of the loudest applause greeted Mrs. Sheehan, who last month kept a 26-day vigil outside the president's Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Texas. Her son, Casey, an enlisted Army specialist, was killed in Iraq in April 2004. "We need a people's movement to end this war," Mrs. Sheehan said. "Members of Congress are not doing their jobs, and George Bush is certainly not doing his job, so we have to do our jobs." The Rev. Jesse Jackson stood behind Mrs. Sheehan after calling for better leadership in his remarks. "When you march, things happen," Mr. Jackson said. "We'll change the Congress in 2006 and take back the White House in 2008." The crowd was a cross section of ages, races and occupations, and many were eager to share stories about long journeys from as far as California. "We're just trying to show our support for the anti-war movement and trying to get a message across," said Robert Fox, 40, a computer engineer from Miami. "Whether [Mr. Bush] listens or not, it doesn't really matter. We just need to show all of America that there's a very large group of people that don't agree with his policies." Mr. Fox and his wife, Vilma, were here for an anti-war rally in 2003. "The mood of the country has definitely started to swing the other way," he said. Sara Carroll, 36, a bank teller from Petoskey, Mich., said this was her first protest. "I just felt like I really had to," she said. "This war has gone on too long, and I think they just need to see that there are this many people who don't agree with it." The main march, organized by Act Now To Stop War and End Racism, or ANSWER, and United for Peace and Justice, was scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m., but did not get under way until almost 1 p.m. -- in part because of the number of speeches. Rep. Cynthia A. McKinney, Georgia Democrat, accused the Bush administration of election fraud and of starting the war on false evidence. "A cruel wind blows across America, starting in Texas and Montana and sweeping across America's heartland," she said. "It settled here in Washington, D.C., and despite our presence today, it continues to buffet and batter the American people." Marchers left the Ellipse and headed north on 15th Street Northwest. They were met by a group of anti-globalization protesters who started at Dupont Circle, then paraded past the World Bank and International Monetary Fund headquarters before connecting with the big march. Some shouted into megaphones, while others chanted, danced and banged drums. Uniformed police officers on foot, on bicycles and on horseback guarded the route. Although some officers wore helmets, none was outfitted in riot gear. In front of the White House, police formed a line and used bicycle racks to make barriers along Pennsylvania Avenue. At about 1:50 p.m., a group of black-clad protesters briefly set a small Israeli flag on fire in Lafayette Square. Mr. Bush was not in the White House, having spent much of the day in Colorado and then in Texas to monitor the federal response to Hurricane Rita. Demonstrators supportive of the president staged a rally at the Navy Memorial on Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest. They later lined the march route between Ninth and 10th streets Northwest. "I fought for your right to hate your country," one shouted at the marchers. War protesters shouted back: "Bush lied, thousands died" and "Hey, Bush, we know you, your daddy was a killer, too." The exchange was punctuated occasionally with vulgar gestures and shouted obscenities, but police kept the groups separate. The war protesters shared the streets with other groups visiting the District for other pursuits. Hundreds gathered downtown for a convention of enthusiasts of Segways, the two-wheeled human transporters. The National Book Festival, sponsored by the Library of Congress, turned out crowds, too. The juxtaposition of events created some odd scenes. A small group of demonstrators on their way to the Ellipse carried about a half-dozen cardboard boxes decorated as flag-draped caskets through the book festival and past a line of mothers with children waiting to ride the carousel at the Smithsonian Castle. Also yesterday, anti-war demonstrators marched in central London to demand that Prime Minister Tony Blair withdraw British troops from Iraq. Similar rallies were held in Copenhagen, Helsinki, Madrid, Oslo, Paris and Rome. The ranks of the protesters here thinned as the march wound down after 4 p.m. Several thousand remained at the Washington Monument for a concert that was expected to last well into the night. More protests are scheduled for today, including attempts to keep employees of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund from attending semiannual meetings. Supporters of the troops in Iraq were to rally at noon today on the Mall at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Protesters of Iraq war flock to US capital International Herald Tribune
More than 100,000 protest over Iraq war Sunday Herald
CTV.ca - Washington Post - Newsday - Free Internet Press - all 795 related »

Rescue Teams Search for Those Stranded by Rita Washington Post
Rescue teams searched for people stranded by floodwaters Sunday as residents of coastal communities in Texas and Louisiana began clearing away debris left by Hurricane Rita and authorities cautioned those who evacuated against returning too soon.
Bush tours hub of hurricane recovery efforts USA Today
Slackened Rita lashes Texas Deccan Herald
TIME - Newsday - Los Angeles Times - Reuters.uk - all 938 related »

Costs rising on Bush's plans
From Iraq to Katrina, the president's plans are putting strain on the
federal budget. By Linda Feldmann
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0926/p01s01-usec.html?s=hns

Rita response showed gains
From the federal to local levels, evacuation and relief efforts have
been more orderly. By Peter Grier and Kris Axtman
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0926/p01s02-ussc.html?s=hns

Big stir over big plan for Maine forest
Arguments erupt in the North Woods as investors propose a
half-million-acre development. By Sara B. Miller
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0926/p02s01-ussc.html?s=hns

Copyright lawsuit challenges Google's vision of digital 'library'
Authors and publishers balk at the firm's plan to digitize the world's
information. By Daniel B. Wood
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0926/p03s01-ussc.html?s=hns

Robert Bork
The federal judge who failed to win confirmation to the Supreme Court
spoke about Judge John Roberts and the court. By David T. Cook
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0926/p20s04-usmb.html?s=hns

SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2005, Issue No. 92
September 26, 2005


** WAS KATRINA A CATASTROPHIC EVENT?
** RESTORING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AFTER KATRINA
** CHALLENGE TO 1953 STATE SECRETS CASE BLOCKED


WAS KATRINA A CATASTROPHIC EVENT?

On August 30, Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff
designated Hurricane Katrina "an incident of national
significance," and thereby activated the National Response Plan
(NRP).

But did the Secretary also designate the Hurricane as a
"catastrophic event," a special sub-category of emergency
situations that entails the expedited deployment of emergency
response capabilities?

The answer to this question is mysteriously hard to find.

Catastrophic events permit "an accelerated, proactive national
response" and may include "mobilizing and deploying assets before
they are requested via normal NRP protocols," according to the
Catastrophic Incident Annex to the National Response Plan.

"A catastrophic event is any natural or manmade incident, including
terrorism, that results in extraordinary levels of mass
casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the
population, infrastructure, environment, economy, national morale,
and/or government functions."

"All catastrophic events are Incidents of National Significance."
However, not all Incidents of National Significance are
"catastrophic events."

So did the Secretary designate Katrina a catastrophic event, or not?

DHS won't say.

"When asked if Chertoff exercised his catastrophic incident
authority in response to Hurricane Katrina, DHS spokesman Russ
Knocke said it was too early to make a determination," wrote Chris
Strohm in Government Executive Daily Briefing on September 8 in
perhaps the only news story to address the issue. See:

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0905/090805c1.htm

The answer to this question would help clarify whether the faulty
government response to Katrina was a failure of planning or of
personnel, or some combination of the two.

Meanwhile, President Bush appeared to suggest that his Department
of Homeland Security was incapable of coping with a catastrophic
natural disaster and that increased military authority was needed.

"Is there a circumstance in which the Department of Defense becomes
the lead agency [for emergency response]?" the President asked at
a September 25 press briefing. "Clearly, in the case of a
terrorist attack, that would be the case, but is there a natural
disaster which -- of a certain size that would then enable the
Defense Department to become the lead agency in coordinating and
leading the response effort. That's going to be a very important
consideration for Congress to think about."

Some related issues are discussed by the Congressional Research
Service in "Hurricane Katrina: DOD Disaster Response," September
19, 2005:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33095.pdf

See also "The Use of Federal Troops for Disaster Assistance: Legal
Issues," CRS, September 16, 2005:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RS22266.pdf


RESTORING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AFTER KATRINA

A Department of Homeland Security memo presents guidelines to
assist in restoring critical infrastructure systems that were
damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and to help secure such
systems against attack.

"The loss of major critical infrastructures and associated control
systems in the Gulf Coast Region has created cascading impacts
across multiple critical infrastructure sectors," the memo states.

"During the aftermath of this natural disaster, threat agents with
malicious intent may attempt to exploit new vulnerabilities or
take advantage of existing vulnerabilities as significant focus
and resources are directed to those in need. It is important for
the control systems community to be cognizant of threats that may
attempt to take advantage of personnel and systems likely to be
more vulnerable to both physical and cyber attacks as a result of
Hurricane Katrina."

See "Hurricane Katrina Control System Assistance," DHS United
States Computer Emergency Readiness Team -- Control Systems
Security Center, September 16, 2005:

http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/dhs/katrina-csa.pdf


CHALLENGE TO 1953 STATE SECRETS CASE BLOCKED

A federal appeals court last week upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit
alleging that the government fraudulently invoked the state
secrets privilege in a case that went to the Supreme Court fifty
years ago.

The landmark 1953 Supreme Court ruling in Reynolds v. United States
ratified the state secrets privilege as a way for the government
to prevent discovery by a plaintiff in litigation.

A half century after that case was decided, the surviving
plaintiffs and their families obtained the now declassified
records that had been withheld from them under the state secrets
privilege. To their surprise, they saw nothing sensitive in the
records to justify the use of the privilege, and they returned to
court alleging fraud.

But the appeals court wasn't buying it.

"The concept of fraud upon the court challenges the very principle
upon which our judicial system is based: the finality of a
judgment," the ruling stated.

A layman might have supposed that "the very principle upon which
our judicial system is based" is justice, or fairness to the
parties, or an accurate record. But a layman would be wrong.

"The presumption against the reopening of a case that has gone
through the appellate process all the way to the United States
Supreme Court and reached final judgment must be not just a high
hurdle to climb but a steep cliff-face to scale," the ruling
declared, foreshadowing its rejection of the plaintiffs' claims.

A copy of the September 22 ruling is here:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/jud/herring0905.pdf

See also "3rd Circuit Finds No 'Fraud on the Courts' in 50-Year-Old
Case" by Shannon P. Duffy, The Legal Intelligencer, September 26:

http://www.law.com/

The application of the state secrets privilege to block a patent
infringement case involving an underwater fiber optic coupler was
neatly reported in "Secrecy Power Sinks Patent Case" by Kevin
Poulsen in Wired News, September 20:

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,68894,00.html



_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the
Federation of American Scientists.

Race, Class Re-Enter Politics After Katrina

By Terry M. Neal

Many Democrats believe the great economic and racial divides exposed by Hurricane Katrina will give their party a chance to make the case for a change in leadership, beginning with next year's midterm elections. However, some Democrats, including key members of the Congressional Black Caucus, fear that focusing too explicitly on the issue of race could have detrimental political implications.

Only a couple of last year's Democratic presidential nominees -- John Edwards, Al Sharpton, Dennis Kucinich -- made poverty a central theme of their campaigns. And Sharpton was the only one to regularly talk about race relations. Most realize that talking race begs being labeled a racist, an agitator, or a troublemaker. Yet, race remains the most powerful undercurrent in politics today.

This week, thousands of people from around the country are descending on Washington for the 35th annual legislative conference of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation The conference will focus primarily on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, poverty and race. The caucus hopes to raise more than $1 million this week for the victims of Katrina.

Sen. Barak Obama (D-Ill.), one member of the 43-person caucus and the only African American senator, wants to make sure that addressing poverty and race stays at the forefront of the national debate. Addressing the conference last night, Obama said: "The incompetence [in the federal response to Katrina] was colorblind."

"What wasn't colorblind was the indifference. Human efforts will always pale in comparison to nature's forces. But [the Bush administration] is a set of folks who simply don't recognize what's happening in large parts of the country." (Read more about Obama's speech here.)

And he blamed GOP policies for exacerbating the divide laid so bare by Katrina.

"I understand why people would be cynical, when [Bush] makes the decision to give tax breaks to Paris Hilton instead of providing child care and education," the senator said.

National polls taken in the wake of Katrina demonstrate the racial divide, with vast majorities of blacks believing the response to the hurricane was slower because most of its victims were poor and/or black, and the majority of whites believing just the opposite. In a Washington Post/ABC poll, 68 percent of those who were directly affected by Katrina -- that is, those where were evacuated -- said they believed "the federal government would have responded more quickly to rescue people trapped by floodwaters if more of them had been wealthier and white rather than poorer and black."

On Wednesday, I had an opportunity to ask this question directly to some of the members of the CBC at a small, reporters' roundtable in House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi's (Calif.) Capitol Hill office. She was joined by three members of the caucus, Reps. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), Mel Watt (D-N.C.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). I was one of about a half-dozen African American journalists invited to attend.

Ostensibly, the purpose of the meeting was to address the party's post-hurricane agenda, including:

Establishment of an independent commission to investigate federal response to Katrina. President Bush has declined to push for an independent commission, and House Democrats, at Pelosi's behest, are boycotting what was supposed to be a bipartisan congressional investigation.

Establishment of an anti-fraud commission to prevent profiteering by contractors and monitor spending of taxpayer dollars. Democrats are complaining that much of the $62 billion Congress has already approved is going to politically connected companies and "fraudulent contractors" with little oversight.

Oppose making permanent the Bush tax cuts, and opposing permanent elimination of the estate tax, given the massive costs associated with Katrina recovery.

Advocating temporary relief from or suspension of a new bankruptcy bill, passed by Congress earlier this year, that will make it much more difficult for people to file for bankruptcy protection.

In addition, Pelosi said she would push for financing at least a portion of the Katrina recovery effort through a massive bond project, coordinated by a federally backed regional authority.

The members of the black caucus also complained that the administration's cutting of jobs and housing programs in recent years exacerbated poverty levels, and they criticized him harshly for suspending the Davis-Bacon Act, the federal law requiring employees receiving federal contracts to pay the minimum wage of the region. Instead, workers can be paid as low as the minimum wage. (Read a related editorial from the Miami Herald here.)

Not that any of these proposals are going anywhere. The Democrats are essentially powerless in Washington, but some believe increasingly that the ongoing Iraq war, the souring economy, gas prices and the response to Katrina have laid bare the dangers of governing with one party controlling all branches. The three CBC members talked about class and poverty, but avoided directly addressing the question of race until I asked if they believed that the federal response to Katrina was slow in part because so many of the victims were poor and black.

It was not a question they were eager to answer.

For the first time, the members looked at each other, waiting for someone else to talk. There was some uncomfortable laughter. Some rolled eyes. The body language told the story. But again, race is not something anyone wants to talk about, not even members of the caucus.

Watt decided to take the question -- carefully.

"No one was left behind intentionally because they were black," he said. "But most of those who were left behind were poor. And wherever you go, these who are poor are going to be disproportionately black in some areas, disproportionately Hispanic in some areas, and disproportionately Native American in some areas."

But as to whether race was a direct reason for the slow response, Watt said, "No, I don't believe that. I don't believe I can responsibly say that."

Thompson, whose district was affected by the storm, asserted that the government's response was quicker and more efficient for the mostly white areas along the Gulf Coast in his state and Alabama than in the mostly black parishes of New Orleans.

And Clyburn offered that "institutional racism" and "de facto" racism, rather than overt racism and hatred, still play a role in American politics, and could have been a factor in the response.

"Nobody wants to talk about poverty," he said. "Nobody wants to talk about race. Nobody wants to talk about the nexus of the two."


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Bush Urges Shift in Relief Responsibilities

By Jim VandeHei and Josh White

SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 25 -- On Sunday, President Bush called on Congress to consider a larger role for U.S. armed forces in responding to natural disasters, as he completed what White House aides called a weekend "fact-finding" mission to determine whether the Pentagon needs more control.

"Clearly, in the case of a terrorist attack, that would be the case, but is there a natural disaster -- of a certain size -- that would then enable the Defense Department to become the lead agency in coordinating and leading the response effort?" Bush said after a briefing from military leaders at Randolph Air Force Base here. "That's going to be a very important consideration for Congress to think about."

Bush has told aides that one of the major breakdowns in the Hurricane Katrina response was the federal government's inability to seize control of rescue and relief efforts. Under existing law and procedure, a state governor is in charge when natural disasters strike and is responsible for deploying the National Guard, though in certain cases, the president can order troops to support local law enforcement.

Bush is asking Congress to consider a major change, potentially shifting federal responsibility for major natural disasters from the Department of Homeland Security to the nation's top military generals. The Defense Department has been hesitant to take such a role because of sensitivity to the idea of adopting a police presence on U.S. soil and because of strains on the armed forces from the war in Iraq.

Russ Knocke, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said a number of ideas are circulating. But Knocke described a narrower role for the military than becoming "the lead agency" for large natural disasters, now the purview of the Department of Homeland Security.

"We are not talking about DOD taking over federal response efforts to a catastrophe from start to finish," Knocke said. Instead, he cited three examples -- maintaining social stability, urban search-and-rescue support, and damage assessment -- when state, local or other federal agencies are incapacitated or overwhelmed.

"We're talking about an ultra-catastrophe, where the need is such that the military's training and assets would meet an immediate need in support of Homeland Security coordination of the federal government's responsibility and recovery efforts," Knocke said.

Some skeptics have said Bush's remarks belatedly recognize that his administration and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D) bungled in applying the military's existing capabilities to rescue Katrina victims. Rather than creating new laws and authorities, government officials simply need to execute existing plans competently, they said.

Federal law, response plans and congressional studies -- plus what happened this past week for Hurricane Rita -- make it plain that there is already abundant authority to request the military. But critics said that Bush and Blanco were too slow to do so for Katrina.

Under the new National Response Plan unveiled last winter, local military commanders are authorized and pre-approved "to respond to requests of civil authorities" for "immediate response" needs, including rescue, evacuation, medical treatment, restoration of vital services and safeguarding and distribution of food and supplies, said Michael Greenberger, director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security at the University of Maryland School of Law.

The military is also allowed to provide whatever other disaster support is necessary. Traditionally the military acts at the behest of the lead federal agency -- in the case of a natural disaster, it would be the Federal Emergency Management Agency and DHS -- and waits until requested to provide large numbers of troops. There are exceptions when the military has acted on its own, as a commander did in response to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

The current National Response Plan developed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks gives the defense secretary authority to provide military support for disaster relief efforts at the president's direction.

However, active-duty troops generally cannot take on domestic law enforcement roles, which is what many experts said was desperately needed to stop the rioting and violence in the streets of New Orleans after Katrina hit. National Guard troops under state control are allowed to take on law enforcement responsibilities.

At Randolph Air Force Base, Maj. Gen. John White urged the president to create a national plan to better coordinate search-and-rescue efforts after major disasters. White said one glaring example of planning errors was when five helicopters showed up at the same time to rescue one person in New Orleans.

"That's the sort of simplistic thing we'd like to avoid," White said to Bush. "That was a train wreck that we saw in New Orleans."

"Part of the reason I've come down here, and part of the reason I went to Northcom, was to better understand how the federal government can plan and surge equipment, to mitigate natural disasters," Bush said. "It's precisely the kind of information that I'll take back to Washington to help all of us understand how we can do a better job in coordinating federal, state and local response."

Bush met this weekend with officials in Colorado Springs at the headquarters of the U.S. Northern Command, before traveling to Austin, San Antonio and Baton Rouge, La.

Defense officials in Washington have been closely examining the Katrina response to see how the military can better react to similar disasters, especially in terms of supporting local "first responders" such as police, fire paramedic and hazardous-materials officials in the event a crisis renders them ineffective.

Paul McHale, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense, said last week that the department will be looking at "more realistic training exercises so that we can more effectively address a catastrophic event that similarly degrades or destroys the local first responder community," and that there needs to be an emphasis on communications and damage assessment. He also said the active-duty military and the National Guard need to work together more closely.

White reported from Washington. Staff writer Spencer S. Hsu in Washington contributed to this report.


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Aid for Those in Flood Zones Fell Short

By Joshua Partlow

The 18 people staffing the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Map Assistance Center in Tallahassee were the first line of defense to answer people's questions about their risks of flooding and need for insurance.

To handle the complicated, technical aspects of flood hazard maps, FEMA had a policy that these "Tier 1" call center employees were to have majored in relevant fields such as geology or environmental sciences, according to a draft of a confidential assessment of the program obtained by The Washington Post.

But none of them had such a background, the February 2005 assessment found.

Instead, the assessment said, the job was left primarily to college students, many from Florida State University, studying fields such as fashion merchandising and music education. Their previous jobs included work as lifeguards, and as cashiers for Winn Dixie stores and at McDonald's, Tropical Smoothie and Mr. Taco.

As FEMA faces criticism for its performance after Hurricane Katrina, the assessment points to what it says were deficiencies in the agency's ability to provide information to homeowners before disasters, as they tried to protect their properties in the event of flooding.

It found that the staff in the call center, restructured last year and run by FEMA contractor Michael Baker Corp., may have provided some misinformation.

Of the 129,000 calls and e-mails to the center last year, 25 percent to 30 percent of the responses may have included "significant errors," and "such problems in many cases could lead to significant financial loss to the customer, including but not limited to wrongful denial of insurance coverage at the time of the loss," according to the assessment. The assessment was prepared by consultant Nexus Integration Services at FEMA's request.

FEMA denies that that could have happened. No information given out by the call center employees "could result in 'wrongful denial of flood insurance,' " Michael Buckley, acting deputy director of FEMA's mitigation division, said in an e-mail.

The draft assessment "was never finalized because of concerns that its findings were not substantiated," Buckley wrote. He did not provide specifics about those concerns.

Michael Baker Corp. referred all questions to FEMA.

John Magnotti, the call center manager, acknowledged in an e-mail that during the first few months of the center's operation last fall some staff members "did have performance issues, resulting in some misinformation being provided to callers." But since the assessment, Tier 1 employees were combined with more knowledgeable Tier 2 staff, "making subject matter expertise more readily available," Buckley wrote. Management also now monitors 15 calls per employee per month to try to avoid mistakes, he said.

The call center "is now operating extremely well," Magnotti wrote.

Robert James, who prepared the draft assessment, defended its findings. It was never finalized, he said, because "Baker basically wanted me to rip the guts out of the document."

"The problems within FEMA are very broad, and they are systemic," James said in a phone interview. "People weren't reviewing things, people weren't asking questions on how work was being accomplished, people weren't being held accountable."

Even if information provided to the public was correct, the flood hazard maps may not accurately portray the risks of water-linked natural disasters. Nearly 70 percent of the nation's 92,200 flood maps are more than 10 years old -- many are much older -- and describe a landscape that ignores years of new buildings, parking lots and erosion that change the dynamics of water over land.

FEMA is in the middle of a five-year, $1 billion initiative to modernize and digitize flood maps, but at congressional hearings in July, experts expressed concern with the progress. Cheryl Small, president of the National Flood Determination Association, said that the maps are riddled with obsolete information and too many are being digitized without new data.

"If you have a map that is not accurate today with the flood plain, that map is not going to be any more accurate when it's digital," she said.

Without accurate maps, residents could be absolved from the requirement to have flood insurance when in fact they are facing a flood risk. In 2005, FEMA statistics show that 20 percent to 25 percent of the flood insurance claims come from outside the areas designated as high flood risks, areas where flood insurance is optional. When Houston was hit by Tropical Storm Allison in 2001, about two-thirds of the area flooded was outside such high-risk zones, Buckley wrote.

"I have people in the flood zone that are on top of a hill, and people down at the bottom of a hill are out of a flood zone," said Harold Holmes, former president of the Mississippi chapter of the Association of State Floodplain Managers, who runs the Pearl River County planning department. "There's going to have to be a reexamination for this whole entire process. . . . There are people I'm sure inland that were never in the 100-year flood plain whose houses got washed away, and they never even thought they needed flood insurance."

In the Washington region, the flood insurance industry has been under attack for two years because many people were dissatisfied with FEMA's response to Hurricane Isabel. In June, a federal lawsuit was filed accusing top FEMA and Department of Homeland Security officials, as well as private insurance companies, of knowingly paying out far less than policy holders deserved to repair flooded homes and property. Much of the information on alleged wrongdoing was found in an investigation by Steve Kanstoroom, who runs the Web site http://www.femainfo.us .

Kanstoroom received the assessment of the call center and said he wanted to give it to the members of Congress, including Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), who have requested it and other documents. But Kanstoroom said he was told by the inspector general's office at the Department of Homeland Security that he should not have official documents relating to FEMA. As of mid-month, the documents had not been given to legislators.

Kanstoroom said the call center troubles shown in the assessment are "indicative of the types of problems that I've found," adding, "In my opinion this is just the tip of the iceberg."


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Charities Fear Drain On Giving

By Annys Shin

Judy Singer is used to dealing with stragglers.

As the director of special events for the Meridian International Center, a District organization that promotes international exchange programs, Singer keeps track of ticket sales and corporate sponsorships for the group's signature fundraiser, the 37th annual Meridian Ball, scheduled for Oct. 14.

"A lot of people come on at the last minute, no matter what year," she said.

But this year, Singer noticed she is facing more than the usual bunch of procrastinators, and she says she suspects that the nation's focus on recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast may be the reason.

"There's been some delay on the part of corporate sponsors as to what level they can sponsor us," she said, while several other businesses that have supported the event in the past simply dropped off the radar this year.

"I almost feel bad fundraising for one cause" when there are others that "take on more of an urgent need," Singer said.

While it is too early to tell what impact Hurricane Katrina will have on philanthropy, some Washington area nonprofits are concerned that corporations that have raised millions of dollars to help hurricane survivors may be forced to scale back their giving to other causes this year, just as the peak season for gala benefits and other charity events gets underway.

Already this season, Hurricane Katrina has claimed one casualty among local charities. Last week, Joseph Robert Jr. said his organization, Fight for Children, shelved "Speak Easy," an Oct. 7 gala dinner to raise money for scholarships for D.C. schoolchildren, because several major corporate sponsors were redirecting their philanthropic efforts to aid hurricane survivors. In years past, the event, formerly called "School Night," has raised upwards of $3 million.

John B. Salamone, national executive director for the District-based National Italian American Foundation, said he was "not surprised" to hear that an event had been canceled in part because of Hurricane Katrina. He said he expects next month's 30th annual National Italian American Gala, which his group organizes to raise scholarship funds and cultural exchanges, will bring in about 10 percent less than last year's.

"If you're not the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army, you're competing for very limited charitable dollars," he said, adding that his organization is not dependent on the event for the bulk of its budget.

So far, "Speak Easy" is the exception. No other major fundraisers scheduled for October have been canceled. And most local charities said their corporate sponsors have maintained their level of support, even as they made substantial contributions to relief efforts.

Philanthropy experts said that while fundraisers often worry that events such as Hurricane Katrina or even the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, will drain resources, most companies increase their charity budgets.

"Generally, what happens is companies will dig into other pots. We're talking relatively small amounts of money compared to the corporation as a whole," said Brad Googins, director of the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College.

Choice Hotels International Inc., a Silver Spring hospitality company, and its employees plan to raise $500,000 for hurricane relief, including a $250,000 matching contribution from the company -- five times what the chain usually sets aside for charity, said spokeswoman Camila Clark.

Freddie Mac, a McLean mortgage finance company, came up with $5 million on top of its regular budget for charitable contributions to give to the American Red Cross to clothe, feed and shelter storm survivors. Its corporate foundation dipped into its reserves to write a separate $5 million check to the Red Cross.

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., a privately held consulting firm in McLean, is among the many local companies that kicked in extra cash to donate to relief efforts. The company has not withdrawn from any of its regular charitable commitments, such as the Lone Sailor Awards Dinner to benefit the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation, scheduled to take place Oct. 26th, said spokesman George Farrar. Booz Allen donated $50,000, and its employees raised an additional $125,000 to support relief efforts.

Another corporate sponsor of the Lone Sailor dinner, defense contractor BAE Systems Inc., with headquarters in Rockville, contributed $1 million to the Red Cross, according to spokesman John Measell. The money didn't set BAE back by much, compared with the $5 billion of sales that the U.S. subsidiary of a British-owned company does in the United States each year.

Googins argues that companies are more likely to be philanthropic because of Hurricane Katrina. In contrast to the reaction to the Asian tsunami in December and the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, companies such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Home Depot Inc. in some ways upstaged government and nonprofit agencies in responding to the crisis, setting a high bar for their peers.

"I don't think a company has an option of not doing anything because of the expectations of their employees and the reputational value, or, conversely, reputational cost of doing nothing," Googins said.

Still, there is concern about how the massive fundraising effort for Katrina will affect other charities. Some organizations say they feel shielded from any fallout. Officials at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University said they'd seen no decline in donations -- and did not expect one, given the nature of their work.

"Cancer is still a major cause. It is a personal issue with so many people," said Bonnie Roberts, director of donor relations and events for the center. "It seems people always come through for us."

But Liz Bradley, a spokeswoman for the Corcoran Gallery of Art, said she felt that her corporate sponsorships had not decreased for two upcoming October events only because the gallery lined up commitments months in advance -- before the hurricane.

She expects that money will be harder to raise in the future.

"The hard part comes later next year," Bradley said.


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SEC Chairman Withdraws From Frist Probe

By MARCY GORDON

WASHINGTON -- The new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Christopher Cox, said Monday that to avoid a potential conflict he will not participate in the agency's investigation of the sale of HCA Inc. stock by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

Cox, who was in Congress for 16 years as a California Republican and left the House to assume the SEC job last month, had been a member of the GOP leadership in Congress for the past 10 years. He was chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee at the time he left.

"Because of my service in the congressional leadership for the last 10 years, I have recused myself in this matter," Cox said in a statement. "The purpose of the recusal is to avoid any appearance of impropriety in the (SEC's) consideration of this case."

Cox's statement was the first public acknowledgment by the SEC that it is investigating Frist's sale of stock in HCA, the big hospital operating company founded by his family.

Frist's sale of the stock from several blind trusts this summer came about two weeks before the company issued a disappointing earnings forecast that drove its share price down almost 16 percent by mid-July.

On Friday, the Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA said it had received a subpoena from federal prosecutors asking for documents the company believes are related to Frist's sale of company stock. Frist's office said that prosecutors and SEC investigators had contacted the senator's office about the sale.

Frist sold the stock at a time when insiders in HCA, the nation's largest for-profit hospital company, also were selling off shares worth $112 million. Aides to the senator, a Tennessee Republican, say he sold his shares to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest.

Documents show that Frist was updated several times about his investments in HCA and other transactions even though they were held in blind trusts. Despite the updates, Frist insisted in public statements afterward that he didn't know what was in the trusts, specifically denying knowledge of his HCA holdings.

Cox said in his statement that his recusal from the SEC's inquiry covers "any future action" requiring deliberation by or a vote of the SEC commissioners as well as any management responsibilities he might have related to it.

As SEC chairman, Cox normally would receive updates from agency attorneys on the course of an investigation and would vote along with the other four commissioners _ two Republicans and two Democrats _ on any enforcement action to be brought or settlement to be reached. Having excused himself at the outset, he would be unable to have any knowledge of or involvement in the Frist stock inquiry.

President Bush chose Cox, a free-market conservative and former securities lawyer, in June to lead the SEC after the surprise resignation of then-chairman William Donaldson.

__

On the Net:

Securities and Exchange Commission: http://www.sec.gov/


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Sheehan Arrested Outside White House

By Daniela Deane and Petula Dvorak

Cindy Sheehan, the grieving California mother of a soldier slain in Iraq, was arrested today while protesting the Iraq war outside the White House.

Sheehan, whose 24-year-old son Casey was killed last year, and several dozen other protesters staged a sit-in on the sidewalk on Pennsylvania Avenue after marching along the pedestrian walkway, the Associated Press reported. Police warned them three times that they had to move along before making arrests, the news agency said.

"The whole world is watching," protesters chanted as Sheehan was led to a police vehicle.

Sheehan and some 200 other protesters sat in circles on the sidewalk, apparently courting arrest. Hundreds more people rallied in Lafayette Park, across Pennsylvania Avenue.

Sheehan's arrest came after a massive antiwar demonstration Saturday in Washington which drew more than 100,000 people -- the largest such demonstration since the Iraq war began in spring 2003. A demonstration supporting the war drew roughly 500 people Sunday.

Sheehan, 48, first attracted wide attention in August when she established the antiwar "Camp Casey" outside of President Bush's Texas ranch. As part of the 26-day protest in Crawford, Sheehan asked for a meeting with Bush, which he declined.


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Louisiana Goes After Federal Billions

By Michael Grunwald and Susan B. Glasser

Louisiana's congressional delegation has requested $40 billion for Army Corps of Engineers projects in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, about 10 times the annual Corps budget for the entire nation, or 16 times the amount the Corps has said it would need to protect New Orleans from a Category 5 hurricane.

Louisiana Sens. David Vitter ® and Mary Landrieu (D) tucked the request into their $250 billion Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief and Economic Recovery Act, the state's opening salvo in the scramble for federal dollars.

The bill, unveiled last week, would create a powerful "Pelican Commission" controlled by Louisiana residents that would decide which Corps projects to fund, and ordered the commission to consider several controversial navigation projects that have nothing to do with flood protection. The Corps section of the Louisiana bill, which was supported by the entire state delegation, was based on recommendations from a "working group" dominated by lobbyists for ports, shipping firms, energy companies and other corporate interests.

The bill would exempt any Corps projects approved by the commission from provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Water Act. It would also waive the usual Corps cost-sharing requirements, ensuring that federal taxpayers would pay every dime.

With the public eager to help Katrina's victims, President Bush and Congress have already approved $62.3 billion in spending for the Gulf Coast. But some budget hawks are grumbling about the impact on the deficit; the Louisiana delegation's $250 billion bill would cost more than the Louisiana Purchase under the Jefferson administration on an inflation-adjusted basis. Some critics of federal water projects said the $40 billion Corps request could make the delegation look especially greedy and undermine support for the state's reconstruction plans.

Vitter and Landrieu have described their bill as a starting point for congressional deliberations, but one GOP Senate aide said they should not expect to get their entire wish list, voicing particular skepticism of the funding for the Corps. Even before Katrina, Louisiana received more Corps funding than any other state, and that was less than $400 million a year.

The overall Corps budget for fiscal 2005 was $4 billion, and Corps officials have estimated that they could upgrade the New Orleans flood protection system to defend against a Category 5 storm for about $2.5 billion.

"This bill boggles the mind," said Steve Ellis, a water resources expert at Taxpayers for Common Sense. "Brazen doesn't begin to describe it. The Louisiana delegation is using Katrina as an excuse to resurrect a laundry list of pork projects."

Aides to Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D) helped shape the bill. The governor yesterday asked for $31.7 billion in federal funds for her state's infrastructure, including $20 billion for hurricane protections -- which aides described as a down payment on the larger sum.

The bill directs the Pelican (Protecting Essential Louisiana Infrastructure, Citizens and Nature) Commission to study several key flood-protection projects, as well as a $14 billion ecosystem restoration for Louisiana's vanishing coastal marshes, which help protect vulnerable communities against storm surges.

But the list of potential projects also includes a 50-year-old plan for a $750 million lock for the New Orleans Industrial Canal, a project rated the fifth-worst Corps boondoggle in the country by an alliance of taxpayer advocates and environmentalists. It also includes an effort to deepen the Port of Iberia for oil and gas tankers, a project that the Corps had concluded would provide only 30 cents of economic benefit for each dollar expended by taxpayers.

Vitter and Landrieu did not return calls. But in a news conference Thursday after they unveiled their bill, they described it as an unprecedented response to an unprecedented tragedy, and said that rebuilding their state as quickly as possible would have long-term benefits for the nation. They said their requests were based on recommendations from Louisiana's municipal, spiritual, educational, medical and commercial leaders.

"We're going to fight hard for every dollar," Landrieu said. "We wanted to tell people the truth: It's going to be an expensive recovery, but worth the investment."

Corps funding is only part of what Louisiana wants. The 440-page bill also includes $50 billion in open-ended grants for storm-ravaged communities and $13 billion for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, along with mortgage assistance, health care, substance abuse treatment and other services for hurricane victims. It also includes hefty payments to hospitals, ports, banks, shipbuilders, fishermen and schools, as well as $8 million for alligator farms, $35 million for seafood industry marketing, and $25 million for a sugar-cane research laboratory that had not been completed before Katrina.

The bill did not specify where the money would come from, but several billion dollars a year would presumably flow from a provision allowing Louisiana to keep half the offshore oil and gas revenue paid to the federal government, a long-standing demand of the state's delegation.

The coastal protection section may be the most contentious part of the bill, overturning a slew of Corps precedents, but Louisiana officials say that past practice has failed to protect their state. They say their communities do not have the money to pay the standard 30 percent local share for Corps hurricane protection, or the time to wait several years for standard Corps studies.

Their model is the federal response to the great Mississippi River flood of 1927, which launched a massive Corps project to control the river at federal expense. The Louisiana officials say it is no coincidence that the river's levees held during Katrina, while flood walls funded through the normal Corps process buckled.

"That's the kind of monumental effort we need today," said W. Clifford Smith, a member of the Mississippi River Commission from Louisiana.

Vitter and Landrieu tapped John M. Barry -- author of "Rising Tide," the definitive history of the 1927 flood -- to lead the working group on the Corps response to Katrina. Almost all the other members of the group were lobbyists from firms such as Patton Boggs, Adams & Reese, the Alpine Group, Dutko Worldwide, Van Scoyoc Associates, and a firm owned by former senator J. Bennett Johnston (D-La.). There was a lobbyist for the Port of New Orleans, a lobbyist for Verizon, and three lobbyists who were former aides to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska).

Internal notes from the working group obtained by The Washington Post suggest that hurricane protection was by no means its sole preoccupation. A list of "outstanding issues" from a Sept. 15 conference call mentioned the possibility of authorizing at least six unrelated navigation projects, and included questions such as "Are there other things we can do to boost our ports?" and -- perhaps a joke -- "How much can I bill my client?"

"My concern was that the focus was not on protecting Louisiana," said Ivor van Heerden, the deputy director of Louisiana State University's Hurricane Center and one of the few non-lobbyists on the working group.

Barry declined to comment on the bill, saying he needed to study the details. But several members of the working group said that van Heerden and Barry pushed for the National Academy of Sciences to oversee the work of the Corps, a recommendation not included in the final bill.

There was also discussion of closing the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, a little-used navigation canal that may have helped amplify Katrina's storm surge, but there was no mention of that in the bill, either.

If Vitter, Landrieu and the rest of the delegation get their way, the final decisions will be made by the nine-member Pelican Commission -- which would have at least six Louisiana residents -- on the basis of a plan provided by the Corps.


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St. Patrick's Four: Verdict:

Not Guilty of Conspiracy:
http://stpatricksfour.com/


Whistleblowers Describe Routine, Severe Abuse:

Two sergeants and a captain in one of the U.S. Army's most decorated combat units have come forward with accounts of routine, systematic and often severe beatings committed against detainees at a base near Fallujah from 2003 through 2004.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10395.htm


Officer's Road Led Him Outside Army:

When Army Capt. Ian Fishback told his company and battalion commanders that soldiers were abusing Iraqi prisoners in violation of the Geneva Convention, he says, they told him those rules were easily skirted.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10394.htm

Bill would give Bush $50B more for wars:

The Senate would give President Bush $50 billion more for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of a $440 billion

defense spending measure a panel approved Monday.
http://tinyurl.com/alsqy


In 1 year, Halliburton's stock doubles as troop deaths double :

Since the beginning of the Iraq war, Halliburton, the Texas energy giant once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, has seen its stock price more than triple in value.
http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/news/stock_troop2.html


US Army goes shopping for anthrax:

The US Army has asked companies to bid for contracts to produce large quantities of anthrax and equipment to produce other unnamed biological agents, according to New Scientist, but has not said what it needs the facilities for.
http://tinyurl.com/c5gqr

High gas prices raise questions of gouging
Katrina and Rita are factors, but some critics blame oil companies for
exploiting the market. By Mark Trumbull
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0927/p01s01-usec.html?s=hns

Hunters as endangered species? A bid to rebuild ranks.
Youth hunt days in several states seek to attract young people to a
fading sport. By Mark Clayton
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0927/p01s02-ussc.html?s=hns

ON POLITICS
September 27, 2005

Waiting For The Rebound
By Charlie Cook, National Journal


Anyone who expected that President Bush could fix his Katrina problems by making five visits to the damaged region, delivering a strong televised speech to the nation, launching a belated all-hands-on-deck effort by his administration, and promising to spend untold billions of dollars was surely disappointed by the results of the latest Gallup poll for CNN/USA Today.

The poll of 818 adults, conducted September 16-18, put Bush's overall job-approval rating at 40 percent and his disapproval rating at 58 percent. Those findings are pretty consistent with his pre-speech standing in other national polls. Clearly, the president is in a hole, and getting out won't be easy.

In the 13 months until the midterm elections, Bush will have countless chances to try to improve his standing. From this point forward, however, he can expect to have considerably less control over the agenda, both on Capitol Hill and within his own administration, than he had during his first four and a half years in the White House.

Katrina and its budgetary fallout have scrambled the plans that Bush and Republican congressional leaders originally had for this fall's legislative agenda. Additional tax cuts, the alternative minimum tax, and permanent elimination of the estate tax—issues that have been holding the Republican coalition together—will be difficult, or impossible, to push to the front burner. The prospect of unpopular spending cuts and a ballooning federal budget deficit are also likely to sap the administration's strength. Fiscal conservatives hate to see red ink flood the federal budget.

Moreover, with every passing day, Bush, like other second-term presidents, becomes a little more of a lame duck, has a little less sway over his own party's members on the Hill, and is a little less feared by the opposition.

Bush's numbers are weak at a stage in his presidency when most of his predecessors' numbers were strong: President Eisenhower had a 59 percent approval rating at this point in his tenure. President Reagan had 60 percent approval, and President Clinton had 58 percent. President Nixon's approval rating dropped to 33 percent during September of his fifth year in office, eventually hitting a low of 24 percent, but that isn't a useful comparison, because Nixon had become mired in the Watergate scandal by then.

Eisenhower's standing didn't take its biggest hit until 1958, when his top assistant, Sherman Adams, was found to have accepted a vicuna coat and several hundred thousand dollars from a New Hampshire businessman, an old friend. The scandal dropped Eisenhower to 48 percent approval in the Gallup Poll, but he immediately popped back into the 50s and 60s, and never dipped again. Eisenhower's approval rating at the time of the 1958 midterm elections was 52 percent, but his party took a drubbing, losing 48 seats in the House and 13 in the Senate. Eisenhower left office with a 59 percent approval rating.

Reagan had two real plunges—first during the 1982 recession, when he dropped to 40 percent in the Gallup Poll, and then just after the 1986 midterm elections, when the Iran-Contra scandal broke. Reagan's popularity dropped to 47 percent but then rebounded. In his last year in office, Reagan's approval rating started in the high 40s, rose through the 50s, and spiked up to 63 percent during his last full month in office.

Clinton took his big plunge in his first two years in office, dropping to 39 percent in August 1994. He had a 48 percent approval rating going into that year's disastrous midterm elections, when his party lost 52 House seats and eight Senate seats.

Although the Monica Lewinsky scandal hit during January 1998, Clinton's approval ratings were 58 and 60 percent in two Gallup Polls conducted as the story was breaking; his ratings remained in the 60s and even hit 70 percent during the impeachment process. Then, beginning in April 1999 and for the duration of his presidency, Clinton's approval ratings were in the mid-to-high 50s or even in the 60s. Controversies about pardons did not arise until Clinton was out the door.

Obviously, presidents can and do enjoy rebounds. What's unusual is for a president's approval rating to have dropped so low this early in a second term.

Bush's administration can keep pouring money and attention on the Gulf Coast, try as best it can to get oil prices down, and try to improve the situation in Iraq, but if the White House is going to achieve a rebound, it will be—to use Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's phrase—"a long, hard slog."




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This column is published at http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0905/092605op.htm


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Hundreds of anti-war protestors arrested in Washington People's Daily Online
Over 300 anti-war protestors were arrested outside the White House on Monday, including the "anti-war mom" Cindy Sheehan from California. Sheehan, whose soldier son was killed in Iraq last year and who has become an icon of the anti-Iraq war movement recently, was detained by police when she was taking a rest on a sidewalk near the White House with other anti-war activists. News reports here said around more than 500 demonstrators had gathered on the sidewalk near the main entrance to the White House. Some walked away after police warnings of arrests and about 370 others were detained. Sheehan was the first to be arrested. "The world is watching," said the protesters. Sheehan and other demonstrators would be charged with demonstrating in a restricted zone without permission, and would be released after being fingerprinted and photographed, police said. Earlier in the day, 41 others were arrested by police for blocking entrances to the Pentagon, the Defense Department's headquarters. The protest on Monday was part of a three-day anti-war campaign in Washington, which attracted over 100,000 people from around the country on Saturday calling for withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and an end to the war. President George W. Bush "recognizes that there are differences of opinion on Iraq and our role in the broader Middle East," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said at a news briefing on Monday. "Some people want us to withdraw from Iraq and withdraw from the Middle East, and they are well-intentioned. But the president strongly believes that withdrawing from Iraq and the Middle East would make us less safe and make the world more dangerous," he said.
Sheehan arrested outside White House San Francisco Chronicle
War protester Cindy Sheehan arrested Aljazeera.net
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Roberts Sails Toward Confirmation ABC News
Sen. Patrick Leahy D-Vt., the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, speaks on Monday, Sept. 26, 2005 in the Senate in Washington, regarding confimration of John Roberts as Chief Justice of the United States.
Roberts Sails Toward Confirmation Washington Post
4 Democrats on '08 List to Vote Against Roberts Los Angeles Times
New York Times - Newsday - Guardian Unlimited - Bloomberg - all 500 related »

Passionate Protests in DC Over Iraq War Voice of America
By Malini Bawa. Demanding that US troops be brought home from Iraq, dozens of protesters engaged in what they called mass civil disobedience at the White House Monday. Among those arrested, anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, whose son was killed fighting in Iraq.

Cindy Sheehan being carried and arrested by police
She gained national attention when she spent days camped outside President Bush's Texas ranch in August, demanding a second meeting with him. Janet McCann is with the protest group United for Peace and Justice. "I think she is a really brave woman, who is doing this because this war is wrong. It's illegal. It's immoral,” said Ms. McCann. “She's got a lot of courage to do what she's doing."

Janet McCann
Two days earlier, Sheehan took part in a massive anti-war rally that drew tens of thousands to Washington. "This war isn't moral. You know what, it is going to end because all these people here today aren't lying, and darkness can not ever overcome the light even there is one spark and we will prevail, I know we will,” she told news reporters. But Americans are deeply divided over the war. In a separate demonstration Sunday, several hundred people rallied to show support for U.S. troops in Iraq. They believe anti-war protests give the enemy hope. Like Sheehan, Joani Kelly lost her son, but has a very different message. "He was very proud to serve for his country and to help the people of Iraq. [It is] very strong in our hearts what our country is doing for Iraq."

Joani Kelly
As anti-war protesters demonstrated in Washington, the White House said President Bush believes they have a right to express themselves, but he disagrees with their views. Spokesman Scott McClellan said Monday, "Some people want us to withdraw from Iraq and withdraw from the Middle East. They're well-intentioned, but the president strongly believes that withdrawing from Iraq and the Middle East would make us less safe and make the world more dangerous." Police said Cindy Sheehan and other protesters arrested Monday will be charged with demonstrating without a permit.
Cindy Sheehan Arrested at Die-In Village Voice
Bush ranch protester arrested at White House Independent
San Francisco Chronicle - Los Angeles Times - San Jose Mercury News - Special Broadcasting Service - all 1,434 related »

Former FEMA Chief Blames Local Officials for Failures New York Times
The former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency admitted today that he had made mistakes in responding to Hurricane Katrina.
Former FEMA Director Blames Others ABC News
Former FEMA Head Blames Others for Hurricane Response Problems Los Angeles Times
CNN - Voice of America - Washington Post - USA Today - all 546 related »

Senators Cast Eye Toward Next Nominee ABC News
Supreme Court chief justice nominee John Roberts is seen in the Oval Office of the White House Monday, Sept. 5, 2005, in Washington.
A prequel for the next showdown San Francisco Chronicle
Is Bush weak or strong? He's both Kansas City Star
Washington Post - Los Angeles Times - DetNews.com - Houston Chronicle - all 625 related »

Rollover deaths stun USU Salt Lake Tribune
A Utah State University field trip to a Box Elder County farm ended in tragedy Monday afternoon when a van carrying the students blew a tire on Interstate 84 and rolled four times down an embankment, throwing all 11 on board from the van and killing eight. The driver, Evan P. Parker, 45, of Hooper along with Steven D. Bair, 24, of Moses Lake, Wash., Curt A. Madsen, 23, of Payson, Ryan W. McEntire, 22, of West Point, Bradley G. Wilcox, 26, of Salt Lake City and Justin W. Gunnell, 24, of Providence were pronounced dead by emergency crews when they arrived at the crash site about seven miles west of Tremonton.
Seven Killed As Van Overturns in Utah Washington Post
Ninth Utah State Victim Dies From Rollover ABC News
San Diego Union Tribune - Deseret News - USA Today - Seattle Times - all 247 related »

Arrests Made in Case Connected to Abramoff Washington Post
Fort Lauderdale police have arrested three men on murder and conspiracy charges in the 2001 gangland-style killing of a South Florida businessman who sold a casino cruise line to Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff, authorities said today. Police picked up Anthony Moscatiello, 67, Anthony Ferrari, 48, and James Fiorillo, 28, last night and this morning in connection with the ambush slaying of Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis, who was killed in Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 6, 2001.
Two Charged in Miami Businessman's Death ABC News
Two Charged in Miami Businessman's Death MSN Money
WAWS - Click10.com - WESH.com - Monsters and Critics.com - all 86 related »

Ex-Employee Kills Himself After Shooting 3 in Factory New York Times
A man who lost his job at a nail polish factory in the Hudson Valley last year after child pornography was found on his office computer returned yesterday and hunted down and shot two owners as well as an office manager before fatally shooting himself, the police said. The violence badly shook employees of the factory, Verla International, and residents of the hamlet, New Windsor, N.Y. Many said they searched their memories of the man the police identified as the gunman, Victor M. Piazza of Warwick, N.Y., to try to understand his outburst.
Gunman Shoots 3 at Upstate NY Factory Washington Post
Gunman shoots three at factory, then kills himself Boston Globe
Poughkeepsie Journal - Reuters AlertNet - Mid-Hudson News - WTNH - all 195 related »

Hundreds turn out for funeral of Puerto Rican nationalist Newsday
Hundreds of mourners followed a funeral procession Tuesday for a fugitive Puerto Rican nationalist killed in a shootout with the FBI, an incident that has shocked this island territory and stoked anger against the U.S. government. Cries of "FBI assassin!" and "Unity, Unity!" rose up as hundreds of people followed the hearse carrying the body of Filiberto Ojeda Rios from San Juan to his hometown of Naguabo in southeastern Puerto Rico.
FBI To Probe Shootout Hartford Courant
A Matter for Our Movement Political Murder in Puerto Rico CounterPunch
BBC News - Guardian Unlimited - Granma International - Workers World - all 282 related »

Heli USA pilot issued mayday, gave evacuation instructions Lihue Garden Island
The Garden Island. LIHU'E - The pilot of a Heli USA Airways helicopter that plunged into the sea Friday, killing three people, had time to instruct his passengers to prepare to evacuate prior to the fatal crash, investigators said yesterday. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator Nicole Charnon said that, based upon interviews with the pilot and surviving passengers, the helicopter experienced a major descent before going up in the air again. Sometime during these changes in altitude, the pilot, whose identity is known to NTSB investigators but has not been released publicly, began issuing mayday calls and instructing his passengers on how to evacuate.
Copter's plunge frantic, fast Honolulu Advertiser
Copter Crashes Off Kauai, Killing Three Guardian Unlimited
Pioneer Press - WIFR - KPUA - Honolulu Star-Bulletin - all 54 related »

AP: Study Warned of Gaps Before Hurricanes Washington Post
Eight months before the devastation of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, an internal Homeland Security Department review warned that the nation was woefully unprepared for a medical disaster and lacked a coherent plan for taking charge of mass casualties. Government medical teams had difficulty coordinating and delivering help during 2004 hurricanes in Florida, said the report obtained by The Associated Press. The report also said there was inadequate planning for dealing with a surge of patients during a disaster like a biological or nuclear attack.
Katrina mistakes rooted in 9/11 aftermath SitNews
AP: Study Warned of Gaps Before Hurricanes ABC News
Lex 18 - AScribe - WLNS - WXXA - all 215 related »

NY Ex-Schools Chief: I Stole Millions ABC News
Former Roslyn School Superintendent Frank Tassone walks past reporters as he leaves court in Mineola, NY, after pleading guilty to two counts of grand larceny, Monday, Sept.
Plea in 11M school scandal New York Daily News
Ex-schools chief admits stealing millions Boston Globe
Washington Post - New York Times - Newsday - Arizona Republic - all 137 related »

Pay raise protests slam Pa. legislators Lancaster Newspapers
More than 1,000 people rallied in the drizzling rain at the state Capitol Monday, demanding lawmakers atone for the salary increase they recently voted themselves.
Hundreds Protest Pa. Lawmakers' Pay Raises Washington Post
Crowd protests lawmakers' pay hikes Uniontown Herald Standard
Carlisle Sentinel - Wilkes Barre Times-Leader - Patriot-News - Pittsburgh Post Gazette - all 84 related »

Judge Grants 'Junior' Gotti's Release ABC News
Victoria Gotti, sister of John Gotti Jr. exits Manhattan federal court, Monday, Sept. 26, 2005, in New York. A federal judge agreed Monday to free the son of late mob boss John Gotti on $7 million bond pending any retrial on racketeering charges.
Judge Grants 'Junior' Gotti's Release Washington Post
Mob boss Gotti's son granted bail in New York Reuters
New York Times - CBS News - Newsday - Slate - all 196 related »

Consumers turning wary
After Katrina and the rise of gasoline prices, consumer confidence
takes its biggest fall in 15 years. By Ron Scherer
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0928/p01s02-usec.html?s=hns

US begins new pitch to Muslim world
Close Bush adviser Karen Hughes is touring Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and
Turkey. By Dan Murphy
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0928/p01s03-wome.html?s=hns

Dahr Jamail: More Dissent, More Censorship :

“I’ve never experienced political pressure like this, not even in Russia when I was being critical of Gorbachev, nor in Yugoslavia when I was being extremely critical of Milosevic,” he added.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10404.htm


Gitmo Judge Rejects Claim He's Interfering:

A federal judge Monday rejected a government argument that he was interfering with the president's constitutional authority to wage war by insisting that Guantanamo Bay detainees be asked if they want their names to be made public.
http://tinyurl.com/aeexg


Pentagon Sets Hicks Show Trial Date:

David Hicks, the only Australian held at Guantanamo Bay, will face a "hearing" before a special US military commission on November 18, the Pentagon says.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200509/s1468936.htm

War on web terror:

COMMENTS posted on a website praising a "terrorist" attack anywhere in the world could land a person in jail under tough new laws to be debated by state and federal leaders today.
http://tinyurl.com/75rd2

Cantwell says she will oppose Roberts Seattle Post Intelligencer
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said Tuesday she will oppose Chief Justice-nominee John Roberts, saying she is concerned that Roberts did not make clear his views on an individual's right to privacy.
Full text: Salazar's speech about Roberts vote Rocky Mountain News
Next justice could be a minority, Bush hints Chicago Sun-Times
San Francisco Chronicle - Newsday - DetNews.com - ABC News - all 758 related »

Laura Bush to appear on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" Seattle Times
Facing criticism that he appeared disengaged from the disaster wrought by Hurricane Katrina, President Bush has been looking for opportunities to show his concern.
First lady hits the road to promote hurricane relief efforts Macon Telegraph
The First Lady Laura Bush Joins Hit Makeover Show as It Focuses on ... New York Times
The Moderate Voice - SunHerald.com - WKYT - Times Picayune - all 103 related »

Couple killed in home among 4 deaths blamed on hurricane Houston Chronicle
Hurricane Rita's assault on Texas and Louisiana has been linked to at least four deaths in Liberty County, including a couple who were killed when a tree fell on their home, authorities said Monday.
Louisiana struggles while Texas moves on Austin American-Statesman (subscription)
Town faces up to Rita challenges BBC News
Denton Record Chronicle (subscription) - Team 4 News - KLTV - San Antonio Express (subscription) - all 35 related »

Spanish media say verdicts 'blow to police investigations and the prosecution.'


http://csmonitor.com/2005/0928/dailyUpdate.html

DeLay Indicted in Campaign Finance Probe

By LARRY MARGASAK

WASHINGTON -- A Texas grand jury on Wednesday charged Rep. Tom DeLay and two political associates with conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme, forcing the House majority leader to temporarily relinquish his post.

DeLay was accused of a criminal conspiracy along with two associates, John Colyandro, former executive director of a Texas political action committee formed by DeLay, and Jim Ellis, who heads DeLay's national political committee.

"I have notified the speaker that I will temporarily step aside from my position as majority leader pursuant to rules of the House Republican Conference and the actions of the Travis County district attorney today," DeLay said.

GOP congressional officials said Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., will recommend that Rep. David Dreier of California step into those duties. Some of the duties may go to the GOP whip, Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri. The Republican rank and file may meet as early as Wednesday night to act on Hastert's recommendation.

The charge carries a potential two-year sentence, which forces DeLay to step down under House Republican rules.

"The defendants entered into an agreement with each other or with TRMPAC (Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee) to make a political contribution in violation of the Texas election code," says the four-page indictment. "The contribution was made directly to the Republican National Committee within 60 days of a general election."

The indictment accused DeLay of a conspiracy to "knowingly make a political contribution" in violation of Texas law outlawing corporate contributions. It alleged that DeLay's Texans for a Republican Majority political action committee accepted $155,000 from companies, including Sears Roebuck, and placed the money in an account.

The PAC then wrote a $190,000 check to an arm of the Republican National Committee and provided the committee a document with the names of Texas State House candidates and the amounts they were supposed to received in donations.

The indictment included a copy of the check.

The indictment against the second-ranking, and most assertive Republican leader came on the final day of the grand jury's term. It followed earlier indictments of a state political action committee founded by DeLay and three of his political associates.

Kevin Madden, DeLay's spokesman, dismissed the charge as politically motivated.

"This indictment is nothing more than prosecutorial retribution by a partisan Democrat," Madden said, citing prosecutor Ronnie Earle, a Democrat.

"We regret the people of Texas will once again have their taxpayer dollars wasted on Ronnie Earle's pursuit of headlines and political paybacks."

The grand jury action is expected to have immediate consequences in the House, where DeLay is largely responsible for winning passage of the Republican legislative program. House Republican Party rules require leaders who are indicted to temporarily step aside from their leadership posts.

However, DeLay retains his seat representing Texas' 22nd congressional district, suburbs southwest of Houston.

DeLay has denied committing any crime and accused the Democratic district attorney leading the investigation, Ronnie Earle, of pursuing the case for political motives.

Democrats have kept up a crescendo of criticism of DeLay's ethics, citing three times last year that the House ethics committee admonished DeLay for his conduct.

Earlier, DeLay attorney Bill White told reporters, "It's a skunky indictment if they have one."

As a sign of loyalty to DeLay after the grand jury returned indictments against three of his associates, House Republicans last November repealed a rule requiring any of their leaders to step aside if indicted. The rule was reinstituted in January after lawmakers returned to Washington from the holidays fearing the repeal might create a backlash from voters.

DeLay, 58, also is the center of an ethics swirl in Washington. The 11-term congressman was admonished last year by the House ethics committee on three separate issues and is the center of a political storm this year over lobbyists paying his and other lawmakers' tabs for expensive travel abroad.

Wednesday's indictment stems from a plan DeLay helped set in motion in 2001 to help Republicans win control of the Texas House in the 2002 elections for the first time since Reconstruction.

A state political action committee he created, Texans for a Republican Majority, was indicted earlier this month on charges of accepting corporate contributions for use in state legislative races. Texas law prohibits corporate money from being used to advocate the election or defeat of candidates; it is allowed only for administrative expenses.

With GOP control of the Texas legislature, DeLay then engineered a redistricting plan that enabled the GOP take six Texas seats in the U.S. House away from Democrats _ including one lawmaker switching parties _ in 2004 and build its majority in Congress.


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