Senate Probes Banks for Meltdown Fraud Wall Street Journal
A Senate panel has subpoenaed financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Deutsche Bank AG, seeking evidence of fraud in last year's mortgage-market meltdown, according to people familiar with the situation.

Earmarks of Committee Members Probing Murtha Questioned Washington Post
Members of the House ethics committee, who are now investigating a pattern of lawmakers steering federal funds to generous defense contractors, are all set to have their pet military projects funded by the same committee whose activities they are probing.

Report: Immigration Detention Centers Failed to Meet Standards Los Angeles Times
The federal government routinely failed to follow its own standards regulating immigration detention centers across the country, denying detainees sufficient recreation time and adequate access to attorneys, legal materials and telephones, according to a new reportLos Angeles Times

Jury Prepares for Jefferson Corruption Case New York Times
A former Louisiana Democrat, Mr. Jefferson is accused of improperly seeking millions of dollars from various African business ventures, as well as seeking to bribe the vice president of Nigeria. In a 2005 raid, the F.B.I. found $90,000 neatly wrapped in aluminum foil in Mr. Jefferson's home freezer.

Tony Blair to be Called to Iraq War Inquiry Daily Telegraph
UK: Clinton Threatened to Cut-Off Intelligence-Sharing If Torture Evidence is Disclosed Salon
Pakistani is Ruled Fit for U.S. Trial in October NYT
Obama Administration Seeks More Time on Detainee Transfer AP
Rep. Pete Sessions' $1.5M Earmark Under Scrutiny Politico
No. 3 at Justice OK'd Reversal in Panther Voter Intimidation Case Washington Times
Emails Show Cozy Ties Between Federal Pension Guarantor And Wall Street Firms He Hired TPM
Judge Considers Release of Some Blagojevich Records ChiTrib
Employee: Military Health System was Unethical in Awarding Contract Nextgov
FTC Delays Launch of Controversial ID-Theft Program WSJ($)
Congress Told That File Sharing Leaks Sensitive Federal Data WaPo
Microsoft-Yahoo Expected to Draw Antitrust Scrutiny WSJ($)
Tax Evaders Flock to IRS Voluntary-Disclosure Program WSJ($)
Trustee Sues Ruth Madoff for Nearly 45 Million NYT
Worldwide Market Fuels Illegal Trafficking in Organs NYT
Company Accused of Falsifying Concrete Checks NYT
30 Arrested in U.S. Medicare Fraud Sweep AP

Ex-Countrywide Executive Testifies on Senators' Mortgages Washington Post
The Senate ethics committee has interviewed a former Countrywide Financial executive who testified under oath that Sens. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) and Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) were aware that they were accessing a special program to give below-market-rate mortgages to the powerful and famous when he arranged their loans.

U.S. Citizens Wrongly Detained, Deported by ICE San Francisco Chronicle
As U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement increased its collaboration with state and local police and prisons under changes to immigration laws and policies in recent years, U.S. citizens have been wrongly detained and deported.

Sharp Rise in Violent Crimes Cited Among Returning Veterans in Colo. Unit Colorado Springs Gazette
Soldiers returning from Iraq after serving with a Fort Carson, Colo., combat brigade have exhibited an exceptionally high rate of criminal behavior in their home towns, carrying out a string of killings and other offenses that the ex-soldiers attribute to lax discipline and episodes of indiscriminate killing during their grueling deployment, according to a six-month investigation by the Colorado Springs Gazette.

Military Criticized in Report on Soldier Electrocuted in Iraq NYT
Blackwater Seeks Gag Order The Nation
Wronged Juveniles May Lose The Right to Sue NYT
Seven Face Terrorism Charges in N.C. WaPo
Va. Man's Sentence Increased to Life in Terror Plot WaPo
Panels Raise Concerns Over Pentagon's Strategic Communications WaPo
Under TARP, Banks Increase Lobbying Politico
Obama Refunds Campaign Donations Politico
Credit Card Firms Raise Fees Before Law Changes Boston Globe
Suspicious Letters Sent to N.J. Government Offices Fox
Program Aims to Curb Marine Suicides USAT
Dodd's Uneasy Dance With Drug Lobbyists NYT
Senator Urges Scrutiny of Ticketmaster Deal WaPo
SEC Moves to Limit Short Sales of Stocks WaPo
Foreclosures Are Often In Lenders' Best Interest WaPo
Study Finds Texting Lifts Crash Risk by Large Margin NYT
GAO: Weaknesses Threaten Electronic Records Archive Program Nextgov

Iraqi Jobs Program Suspended Amid Scrutiny USA Today
The top U.S. aid agency has suspended a $644 million Iraq jobs program after two outside reviews raised concerns about misspending, including an inspector general's audit that found evidence of phantom jobs and money siphoned to insurgents

Secrets of CIA 'Ghost Flights' to be Revealed Guardian
Confidential documents showing the flight plans of a CIA "ghost plane" allegedly used to transfer a British resident to secret interrogation sites around the world are to be made public. The move comes after a Sussex-based company accused of involvement in extraordinary rendition dropped its opposition to a case against it being heard in court.

Infectious Diseases Study Site Questioned Washington Post
The Department of Homeland Security relied on a rushed, flawed study to justify its decision to locate a $700 million research facility for highly infectious pathogens in a tornado-prone section of Kansas, according to a government report.

US on Verge of Closing Anthrax Probe After 8 Years AP
A year after government scientist Bruce Ivins killed himself while under investigation for the lethal anthrax letters of 2001, the Justice Department is on the verge of closing the long, costly and vexing case.

U.S. Admits it Has No Case Against Teen Held at Gitmo McClatchy
Report Criticizes FEMA Response on Trailers AP
Energy Firms Help Pay for State Regulators' Trips Sacramento Bee
92 Patients at Philly VA Center Got Incorrect Radiation Philadelphia Inquirer
'Most Wanted' Iraqi Official Details Abuse in U.S. Captivity HuffFund
Amid Scrutiny, Yoo Rebuts Critics of Detainee Memos WaPo
Loose Reins on Nurses in Drug Abuse Program ProPublica
White House Eases Stimulus Lobbyist Restrictions The Hill
Drug Firms Pour $40 Million Into Health Care Debate NPR
9/11 Commission Members Lobby Congress CNN
Kuwaiti Trader Who Faced SEC Charges Is Found Dead WSJ($)
Arson Investigators Probe Airliner Fire WSJ($)
Blagojevich Pal to Pay More Than $200,000 AP


]]> http://feeds.voices.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=ee267678ae8f72222a1625336bea5985 http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washingtonpostinvestigations/2009/07/iraqi_jobs_program_suspended_amid_scrutiny.html?wprss=washingtonpostinvestigations http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washingtonpostinvestigations/2009/07/iraqi_jobs_program_suspended_amid_scrutiny.html The Daily Read Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:20:19 -0500 Today's Daily Read powered by Publish2. See what else we're reading by subscribing to our GoogleReader feed, or following us on Twitter.

U.S. Declines U.N. Requests for Guantanamo Visits Washington Post
The Obama administration has declined requests from U.N. human rights investigators for information on secret prisons and for private interviews with inmates at the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, U.N. officials said, dampening their hopes of greater U.S. cooperation on human rights issues.

Murtha, 12 Colleagues Back a Murky $160 Million Request Washington Post
Tucked into the voluminous congressional plan for U.S. military spending next year is $160 million earmark to help Mexico's police buy U.S.-made radios. Thelanguage in the bill discloses neither the specific purpose of the radio project nor the dozen lawmakers who asked Chairman John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) to include it.

S.E.C. Seeks to Curb 'Pay to Play' for Pension Money New York Times
The S.E.C. action addresses a practice often seen in local government that regulators say can result in investment firms winning lucrative contracts to manage millions of dollars in public employee pension plans or other government business based on their political clout, not merit.

White House Discloses Health-Care Execs' Visits Politico
Minutes before a press conference where President Barack Obama could have been asked about the issue, the White House released a list of visits by health care executives.

U.S. Judge Challenges Evidence on a Detainee NYT
Their Own Private Guantanamo ProPublica
Dozens Arrested in New Jersey Corruption Probe WSJ($)
Missing Records of Va. Tech Shooter Are Discovered WaPo
Juveniles Suing Corrupt Pa. Judge Can Keep Records WaPo
Courts: Cops Who Allege Corruption Can Be Fired San Francisco Chronicle
House Intelligence Panel Could Call Cheney in Probe Fox
Judge to Rule on Opening Blagojevich Files ChiTrib
Chair: Financial Crisis Panel Will Probe AIG Bailouts TPM
Biden Says Guantanamo Will Close by January AFP
Safety Violations Ground Mexican Airlines USAT
Analysis Finds Toxic Substances in Electronic Cigarettes NYT
Acorn Challenges Pennsylvania Law in Vote Fraud Case NYT
Judge Finds Racial Bias in Fire Dept. Recruiting NYT
Senate Panel Backs DNI in Turf Battle With CIA WaPo

Palin Legal Donations May Have Violated Ethics Law Washington Post
An independent investigator has determined that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) may have violated state ethics laws by soliciting and accepting private donations to pay $500,000 in legal debts.

Lawmakers Rebuke Treasury Dept. For Lack of Transparency Washington Post
The Treasury Department was criticized Tuesday by lawmakers who claim the agency has failed to live up to its promises of transparency in handling the federal rescue of the financial system.

White House Declines to Disclose Visits by Health Industry Executives Los Angeles Times
The Obama administration has turned down a request from a watchdog group for a list of health industry executives who have visited the White House to discuss the massive healthcare overhaul.

Report: Immigration Agents Broke Laws in Home Raids New York Times
Armed federal immigration agents have illegally pushed and shoved their way into homes in New York and New Jersey in hundreds of predawn raids that violated their own agency rules as well as the Constitution, according to a study to be released on Wednesday by the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

Inquiries Focus on Defense Subcommittee Ties Politico
Probes Involve Firm Linked to China Leader's Son WSJ($)
Congress: IG Firing Was "Legitimate" And Lawful TPM
Group Plans Lawsuit To Unveil the CIA's 'Pentagon Papers' Wired
Justice Department Argues Against Releasing Cheney Interview Politico
Stimulus Watchdog Defends Web Contract Congress Daily
Autos, Banks Spend $20M Lobbying The Hill
Biotech Firms Lobby Hard for Say on Healthcare Boston Globe
Pelosi's Door Revolves for Top Lobbyist CQ Politics($)
UCLA Surgeon Faces Probe of Research WSJ($)
Ex-Broker Set to Plead in Fraud Case WSJ($)
Doubts Slow Financial Regulation Overhaul on Capitol Hill WSJ($)
U.S. Proposes Restrictions on Credit-Rating Companies Bloomberg
Judge Approves Liquidation of Madoff Feeder Funds NYT
Report Defends Media Role of Retired Officers NYT
GAO: Grant Application Portal Littered with Technical Rroblems Nextgov

CIA Committed Fraud, Judge Writes in Ruling Washington Post
A federal judge has ruled that government officials committed fraud while defending a lawsuit brought by a former DEA agent who accused a CIA operative of illegally bugging his home.

U.S. Criticized on TARP Spending Transparency USA Today
American taxpayers could end up spending as much as $23.7 trillion in bailing out the financial system, but the U.S. government isn't disclosing with enough transparency how the money is being spent nor how the investment is performing.

Industry Cash Flowed to Drafters of Reform Washington Post
As his committee has taken center stage in the battle over health-care reform, Chairman Baucus (D-Mont.) has emerged as a leading recipient of Senate campaign contributions from the hospitals, insurers and other medical interest groups hoping to shape the legislation to their advantage.

Reports on U.S. Detention Policy Delayed Washington Post
The Obama administration is delaying completion of reports examining U.S. detention and interrogation policy, officials said Monday, in a sign of the formidable issues it faces in grappling with how to handle terrorism suspects as it prepares to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay.

White House: Guantanamo Bay Still Closing in January Politico
Detainees' Trial Plan Is Unveiled WSJ($)
9/11 Case Could Bring Broad Shift on Civil Suits NYT
IRS Oversight Found Lacking AP
Florida House Flipping Fraud Cost Billions Sarasota Herald-Tribune
EU Calls Google Books Hearing, House Ponders One WSJ($)
Deutsche Bank Fires Two in Spying Probe WSJ($)
Packed Agenda Leaves Lobbyists Loaded Politico
Critic Files Another Palin Ethic Complaint WaPo
Dallas City Hall Trial Shows Money's Sway in Politics DMN
Miami Police Cleared of Falsifying Crime Data Miami Herald
Two Executives Plead Guilty in Illegal Use of Bone Cement NYT
U.S. Withheld Data on Risks of Distracted Driving NYT
Former Blago Chief of Staff Postpones Guilty Plea ChiTrib

Bailout Overseer Says Banks Misused TARP Funds Washington Post
Many of the banks that got federal aid to support increased lending have instead used some of the money to make investments, repay debts or buy other banks, according to a new report from the special inspector general overseeing the government's financial rescue program.

U.S. Expected to Miss Deadline on Detainee Policy Wall Street Journal
Obama administration officials said they will miss a deadline to make recommendations on detainee policy -- a key part of the plan to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by January -- and are expected to seek an extension.

New Orleans Wants Ex-Residents Counted Wall Street Journal
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is calling on former residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to claim their old city addresses in next year's census, drawing criticism for trying to circumvent rules for winning federal funds.

Drug Makers Criticized for Co-Pay Subsidies Wall Street Journal
Even as U.S. lawmakers seek new ways to rein in health-care spending, drug companies are quietly circumventing a proven tool for controlling prescription-drug costs: insurance co-payments

IG Fired by President Obama Files Lawsuit to Be Reinstated ABC
Army Bribe Probe Looks at Contracts, Kuwait firm Houston Chronicle
IG: Afghanistan Lacks Contracting Oversight MoJo
No-Bid Defense Contracts Mean Higher Costs WaPo
Pentagon Seeks to Overhaul Prisons in Afghanistan NYT
Agency: Exxon Sabotage May Merit $1 Billion Fine Bloomberg
D.C. Police Officers Subject of FBI Probe WaPo
Train Operator Under Scrutiny After Crash in San Francisco NYT
Where Are the Donation Bundling Reports?CQ Politics($)
A Vineyard Weekend for Lobbyists Roll Call($)
Two Members Scolded by FEC for Spending Campaign Cash on Clothes Roll Call($)
Conservative Group Offers Support for $2M Politico
NY Attorney General: Schwab Faces Fraud Suit WSJ($)
New FCC Chairman's Agenda Includes More Transparency WSJ($)
Pension Calculus Draws New Scrutiny WSJ($)
Stimulus Spending for Highways Stalled LAT
Subprime Brokers Resurface as Dubious Loan Fixers NYT
Intrigue Grows Over C Street Roll Call($)


]]> http://feeds.voices.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=34a1b649e9796c61cf3a2f68255019d4 http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washingtonpostinvestigations/2009/07/army_bribe_probe_looks_at.html?wprss=washingtonpostinvestigations http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washingtonpostinvestigations/2009/07/army_bribe_probe_looks_at.html The Daily Read Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:11:36 -0500 Today's Daily Read powered by Publish2. See what else we're reading by subscribing to our GoogleReader feed, or following us on Twitter.

Committee Asks for CIA Program Records AP
The House Intelligence Committee has asked the CIA to provide documents about a now-canceled program to kill al-Qaeda leaders, a likely a precursor to what could become a full-blown investigation into the secret operation and why the program was not disclosed to Congress.

Failed Air Force Project Linked to Murtha Washington Post
When an Air Force command in north Florida sought new battlefield technologies, Rep. John P. Murtha steered millions in federal dollars its way. But the project fell apart when investigators found evidence that it was used to improperly pay a series of companies linked to the Pennsylvania Democrat.

Quadrangle Probe Intensifies in New York Washington Post
New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo has stepped up his investigation of an investment firm founded by the former head of the Obama administration's autos task force, with authorities engaging in discussions that would be "a prelude to any settlement talks," according to a source close to the case.

Madoff Arrives at Federal Prison in North Carolina New York Times
Bernard L. Madoff arrived yesterday at the Butner Federal Correctional Complex in a blue prison jumpsuit, his hands and feet shackled, to begin serving a 150-year prison sentence for orchestrating one of the largest frauds in history.

Amtrak Accused of Hindering Stimulus Oversight USA Today
Amtrak managers have improperly interfered with oversight of the railroad's $1.3 billion in economic stimulus funding, according to an independent report by a former federal prosecutor.

Obama Claims Immunity in Surveillance Case Wired
Social Security Execs 'Destress' at Lavish Conference ABC
Senate Defense Bill's Earmarks Total $9 Billion The Hill ($)
Alaska Native Firms Win Hefty Share of Contracts GovExec
Fumo Sentenced in Penn. for Fraud NYT
NYC Councilman Resigns as Criminal Charges Loom NYT
Criminal Inquiry in Waiting-Room Death NYT
Warnings Went Unheeded Before Deadly Mudslide Salt Lake Trib
Company Settles Case Over Fake Online Reviews NYT
Medical School: Ex-Army Surgeon Hid Ties to Medtronic NYT
SEC Reforms Draw In-House Criticism WaPo
Derivatives Are Focus of Antitrust Investigators NYT

Secret CIA Program Targeted Al-Qaeda Leaders Washington Post
The CIA ran a secret program for nearly eight years that aspired to kill top al-Qaeda leaders with specially trained assassins, but the agency declined to tell Congress because the initiative never came close to bringing Osama bin Laden and his deputies into U.S. cross hairs.

Obama's Chief Auto Adviser Resigns Amid Probe New York Times
Steven Rattner is quitting his post as President Obama's chief adviser on the troubled automobile industry at a time when an investigation into his former Wall Street firm's role in a scandal involving public pension funds has intensified.

Metro Crash Prompts Safety Warning Washington Post
The federal safety board investigating last month's deadly Metro accident said yesterday that the electrical system designed to prevent crashes is inadequate and urged the transit agency to add a real-time, continuous backup system to alert train operators to potential problems.

House Panel Routinely Destroyed Earmark Requests Roll Call($)
The House ethics committee has announced that it is investigating the links between earmarks and campaign contributions, but if investigators are looking at any activity prior to 2007, they could run into a problem: The documents underlying those earmarks may have been destroyed.

As DOJ Weighs Torture Probe, Others Are Underway TPM
Ex-CIA Officer: Waterboarding Began Before Authorization BBC
Detainee Documents Improperly Classified, Lawyers Argue WaPo
2 Somali Americans Face Terror Charges WaPo
Congressional Insider Trading Targeted Roll Call($)
SEC chief outlines enforcement, other changes AP
Virgin Atlantic CEO Concedes Price Fixing WSJ($)
Top Aide to Stanford May Shift Plea to Guilty NYT
Schwarzenegger Sweeps Out Nursing Board LAT
Lawyer Gets 20 Years in $700 Million Fraud NYT
House Ethics Office Recommends Five Inquiries Roll Call($)
Probe Into N.Y. Concrete Firms Widens NYT
U. of I. Preferential Treatment Details Emerge ChiTrib
Judge Delays Case on Swiss Bank Secrecy WaPo

Panetta: CIA Hid Program on Cheney's Orders New York Times
The report that former Vice President Dick Cheney was behind the decision to conceal a still-unidentified program from Congress deepens the mystery surrounding it. Meanwhile, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Sunday that the Bush administration may have broken the law if the CIA concealed the covert program from Congress.

Bush Anti-Terror Policies Get Reluctant Revisit Washington Post
Obama administration officials are reluctantly moving to examine some of the most controversial and clandestine episodes of the Bush administration's fight against terrorism, a move that comes amid fresh disclosures about CIA activity hidden from Congress and word that Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. favors naming a criminal prosecutor to examine whether U.S. interrogators tortured terrorism suspects.

Problem Nurses Keep Jobs as Patients Suffer Los Angeles Times
The board charged with overseeing California's 350,000 registered nurses often takes years to act on complaints of egregious misconduct, leaving nurses accused of wrongdoing free to practice without restrictions.

Report Cites Weaknesses in Wiretapping Program WSJ($)
Monitoring Faulted in Rise of Soldier Suicides USAT
Obama Orders Review of Taliban POW Deaths CNN
Soldiers Sue KBR for Chemical Exposure Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Veterans Affairs Faces Surge of Disability Claims NYT
Chicago Schools Report Contradicts Obama and Duncan USAT
DOJ: Murtha Earmark Money Was Illicitly Distributed Roll Call($)
Statements in Ethics Probes Protected Roll Call($)
Electronic Chips in IDs Raise Privacy Concerns LAT
Deal Sought in Swiss Bank Suit WaPo
Calls for Inquest Into UK Scientist's Death The Independent