ProPublica: Articles and Investigations

Breaking on the Web: August 27, P.M. Edition

2008-08-27T16:40:00-05:00

Updated 5:30 pm EDT

Ex-Marine Squad Leader is Heard Ordering Iraqi Prisoners’ Executions on Tape - Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times
BofA Agrees to Auction-Rate Buyback - Jennifer Levitz, Wall Street Journal ($)
Rep. Conyers Sets Date for Production of U.S. Attorney Docs - Zachary Roth, TPMmuckraker
Lawsuit: EPA Refuses to Disclose Pesticide Records - Jane Kay, San Francisco Chronicle
Legal Experts: Gov’s Hearing Is Designed to Oust Detroit Mayor - Zachary Gorchow, Ben Schmitt and Suzette Hackney, Detroit Free Press
Reporter Arrested in Denver for Snapping Pics of Senators - Brian Ross, ABC News
House Ethics Comm.: Free Tickets to Kanye West Concert Violate Rules - Matthew Mosk and Paul Kane, Washington Post
Former Marine Testifies in Iraqi Detainee Killings - AP
British Gitmo Detainee’s Case Back in Court - AP
FDIC List of ‘Problem Banks’ Grows to 117 - Kathy Chu, USA Today
Biden Helped Del. Keep Corporate Bankruptcy Filings - Nathan Koppel, Wall Street Journal ($)
Wind Energy Bumps Into Power Grid’s Limits - Matthew L. Wald, New York Times
Lawsuit Alleging ExxonMobil Liable for Indonesia Murders to Proceed - Brent Kendall, Wall Street Journal ($)
Jury Convicts Nuclear Plant Engineer Who Lied to Regulators - AP
Southwest to Challenge FAA Penalties - Andy Pasztor and Paulo Prada, Wall Street Journal ($)
Bush Admin to Appeal Court’s Decision on Cong. Subpoenas - AP
Crises Reveal Limits of Bush’s Personal Diplomacy on World Stage - Michael Abramowitz, Washington Post
Tobacco Firms Kept Quiet on Polonium in Cigarettes - Andy Rowell, Independent
Woman Kicked Out of Fed. Building Over ‘Lesbian’ T-Shirt - Douglas Morino, Los Angeles Daily News
ACLU Calls for Outside Probe of S.C. Prisons System - Yvonne Wenger, Charleston Post & Courier
Cincinnati Health Dept. Failed to Inspect City Nursing Homes - Eileen Kelley, Cincinnati Enquirer
Glaxo’s HIV-Drug Ads Draw Critics - Jeanne Whalen, Wall Street Journal ($) (Aug. 25)

Fun With Numbers: Critiques Question the Government’s Boasts About Workplace Safety

2008-08-27T13:22:00-05:00

It’s been a rough year for Edwin Foulke.

The assistant secretary of labor in charge of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been on the defensive in the news far more than an agency chief might want.

There was the Georgia sugar refinery that blew up in February, killing 14 workers, and the ensuing outcry over the agency’s lack of combustible dust standards—standards that labor activists and even the head of the company now say could help prevent such tragedies.

There was the Charlotte Observer series that investigated rampant underreporting of injuries and illnesses, questioning the administration’s assertion that rates are falling.

Then last month, the Washington Post broke the story that the Department of Labor was quietly pushing through a rule that would make it harder to regulate workplace toxins.

After Acquittal, U.S. Resident Now Faces Deportation

2008-08-27T12:07:00-05:00

by Eric Umansky -

Remember the alleged plot two summers ago to blow up the Sears Tower? Seven men from an obscure religious sect in Miami, the Seas of David, were indicted. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales trumpeted the charges at a press conference, saying “Individuals here in America made plans to hurt Americans.”

But the evidence turned out to be less than overwhelming. The men had no connections to terrorist groups and what little plotting there was had been urged on by an FBI informant.

The case has so far ended in two mistrials, and one of the defendants, Lyglenson Lemorin, was acquitted in December 2007. (Lemorin had left the sect months before the arrests and moved to Atlanta with his family after expressing qualms about the group.)

Breaking on the Web: August 27, A.M. Edition

2008-08-27T10:59:01-05:00

Court Docs: U.S. Soldiers Executed Iraqi Detainees - Paul Von Zielbauer, New York Times
Ex-Soldier Faces Civilian Trial for Alleged Murder, Sexual Assault in Iraq - Brett Barrouquere, Washington Post
Pentagon May Delay Guidelines on Aerial Tanker - Andrea Shalal-Esa, AP
FAA Computer Trouble Causes Flight Delays - Micheline Maynard, New York Times
FAA May Cut Aid After NY & NJ Airports Rebuff Auction Plan - Sewell Chan, New York Times
Immigration Raid Called Nation’s Biggest - Holbrook Mohr, AP
FDIC May Borrow From Treasury - Damian Paletta and Jessica Holzer, Wall Street Journal ($)
Auction-Rate Inquiry Looks at Fidelity-Goldman Ties - Jennifer Levitz, Wall Street Journal ($)
Citigroup Settles Credit Card Allegations - AP
Cash-Strapped Cities Debate Privatization of Infrastructure - Jenny Anderson, New York Times
Judge Allows No Delay of Miers’ Testimony About Fired Prosecutors - Dan Eggen, Washington Post
Sen. Stevens Wins Alaska GOP Primary - William Yardley, New York Times
Study: Lawmakers Rely on Few Wealthy Zip Codes for Cash - Lee Drutman, Miller-McCune
AT&T Has High Profile Presence at Dem Convention - Jim Kuhnhenn, AP
Corporate Interests Take Dems to the Ballpark - Brody Mullins, Wall Street Journal ($)
Media Doesn’t Get Full Access to Dem Convention - Michael de Yoanna, 5280
Financial Industry Lobbyists Hold Events for Lawmakers - Sheila Krumholz, Capital Eye
Biden Asbestos Move Had ‘Intersection of Interests’ - Ken Dilanian, USA Today
Obama, Biden’s Son Linked by Earmarks - James V. Grimaldi and Kimberly Kindy, Washington Post
FDA Lax on Chinese Food Imports - Joshua Kurlantzick, Mother Jones
Cancer Cluster Confirmed Near Pa. Superfund Sites - AP
Study: Some Ayurvedic Herbal Medicines Contain Toxins - Alan Zarembo, Los Angeles Times
Scientists Report Further Shrinking of Arctic Ice - Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post

Afghan Officials Holding Terror Suspect’s Son, a U.S. Citizen

2008-08-26T17:50:00-05:00

by Eric Umansky -

The strange case of Aafia Siddiqui continues. As we wrote last week, there are lingering questions about where Siddiqui was in the five years before the suspected al-Qaida sympathizer was apparently arrested last month in Afghanistan. Siddiqui disappeared along with her three children in March 2003. The U.S., who has charged Siddiqui with trying to kill a GI during an escape attempt after her arrest this July, says the American-trained neuroscientist spent those years as a fugitive. Meanwhile, human rights activists wonder whether Siddiqui was detained in a secret prison.

Now there’s a new wrinkle in the case. It’s one that’s nearly as odd as Siddiqui’s lost time, except this time everybody seems to agree on the facts: Afghan security forces are holding Siddiqui’s son, an 11 year-old U.S. citizen. The Washington Post reports:

In a letter to [Siddiqui’s family]..., federal prosecutors said photos and DNA tests strongly suggest that the youngster in Afghan custody is Siddiqui’s son, Ahmed. The boy was detained July 18 when Afghan police arrested Siddiqui in what they described as a shootout near a government compound in Ghazni.

Mich. Gov. to Judge Detroit Mayor

2008-08-26T16:32:00-05:00

by Paul Kiel -

It's not something you see very frequently. Next Wednesday, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) will hold a hearing on whether Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D) should be booted from office.

In a post last week, we ran down the many options available to those wishing to expel the beleaguered mayor, who faces two separate criminal prosecutions. By far the fastest means would be for Granholm, the state's former attorney general, to determine that Kilpatrick had committed official misconduct. The state constitution gives her the power to remove him from office.

Granholm proclaimed in an order this morning that the hearing will focus on questions about an $8.4 million settlement the city paid to two police whistleblowers who had accused Kilpatrick of misconduct. The deal, approved by the mayor, sealed text messages between the mayor and his chief of staff that appeared to show the two had lied at trial about their affair.

The hearing will be broadcast live.

Breaking on the Web: August 26, P.M. Edition

2008-08-26T15:33:00-05:00

Gov’t Docs Contradict U.S. Explanation for Spy Satellite Shoot-Down - Kevin Whitelaw, U.S. News & World Report
U.N. Accuses U.S.-Led Troops in Afghan Deaths - AP
Poland Opens Probe into CIA Prison Claims - AP
GOP Rep Slams Earmarks After His Wife Benefits From His - Ryan Grim, Mother Jones
Ill. Gov Vetoes Ethics Bill Aimed at Him - Monique Garcia and David Kidwell, Chicago Tribune
Governor to Decide Whether to Oust Detroit Mayor - Zachary Gorchow and Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press
FEMA Spends Almost $3 Billion on Post-Katrina Housing - Rick Jervis and Brad Heath, USA Today
Watchdog Sues DoJ to Get Cheney’s Plame Interview - CREW
Gay Adoption Ban Cleared for Arkansas Ballot - Andrew DeMillo, AP
Transgender Vets Face Discrimination - Rick Maze, Army Times
NYC Judge Orders Relase of Rosenberg Testimony - AP
SEC Probes Wachovia for Bidding Practices - Andrew Ackerman, Bond Buyer
Report: Mortgage Fraud Still Soaring - Les Christie, CNN Money
Regulators Step Up Bank Actions - Damian Paletta and David Enrich, Wall Street Journal ($)
FBI: Journo Phone Record Seizure Was Miscommunication - AP
OK Natural Gas CEO Steps Down as Regulators Probe Transactions - Ben Casselman, Wall Street Journal ($)
Germany Scrutinizes Bayer Pesticide in Bee Deaths - Sabine Vollmer, Raleigh News & Observer
ACLU: Md. Police Have More Activist Group Surveillance Docs - AP
FDA to Alter Multiple-Sclerosis Drug Label After Brain Disorders - Jared A. Favole, Wall Street Journal ($)
McCain Aide Lobbied against Bill to Keep Guns from People on Terrorist Watch List - Mark Hosenball, Newsweek
Interest Groups Join the Party With Top Dems - Alan Bernstein, Houston Chronicle
Lobby Ties Counter Biden’s ‘Outsider’ Label - Jim McElhatton, Washington Times
Police Use Pepper Spray on Protesters at Dem Convention - Carrie Porter, Rocky Mountain News
Chartered Jet Brokers Break Rules Under Little Oversight - Seth Lubove, Bloomberg News
200 Bus Companies Ordered off Texas Roads in Past Two Years - Gordon Dickson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

When Off-the-Record Sources Lie

2008-08-26T12:30:00-05:00

by Eric Umansky -

Earlier this month, Raleigh News & Observer Executive Editor John Drescher wrote that when allegations of John Edwards’ affair first surfaced last October, Edwards called Drescher and told him off-the-record that the affair hadn’t happened. We talked to Drescher about anonymous sources and what journalists should do when off-the-record sources lie.

You spoke with Edwards in October, when the first Enquirer story came, correct?

That’s right. He sought me out. He had been asked on the campaign trail about the National Enquirer report, and he had emphatically denied it. We were trying to figure out what to do with that—the report was based on one source and it didn’t even name the woman. And the Edwards campaign knew that we were trying to figure out what to do with it. One of their people had called to talk with me about it—off-the-record. And then he said, Edwards wants to talk with you. And then we had the off-the-record conversation that I ended up writing about.

After White House Pressure, Agency Scales Back Whales Protection Rule

2008-08-26T12:10:00-05:00

by Paul Kiel -

The Bush administration has not been shy in questioning the conclusions of government scientists. Years-long rulemaking processes have been shunted by White House questions and objections, reports and congressional testimony heavily edited, and in some cases troublesome scientists entirely removed from areas of responsibility. In one survey, nearly half of EPA scientists who responded complained of political interference.

Here is another episode. Yesterday, the National Marine Fisheries Service issued new proposed guidelines for the protection of North Atlantic right whales. According to the new rules, ships will have to slow to 10 nautical miles per hour within 23 miles of certain ports at certain times of year. While a significant measure to protect the whales, of which only about 300 remain, prior guidelines had extended the protected zone to about 34.5 miles from shore.

The reason for the restriction was pretty straightforward: fast moving ships had killed about 20 whales in the past 20 years, government scientists found (PDF). The whales, in fact, earned the name “right whales” because they were such an easy quarry for whalers.

Breaking on the Web: Democratic Convention Edition

2008-08-26T11:20:00-05:00

It’s a Party at Political Conventions - Derek Kravitz, Washington Post
Bundlers Enjoy Perks at Conventions - Luke Rosiak, Capital Eye
Lobbyists Navigate Complex Convention Rules - Lisa Mascaro, Las Vegas Sun
Corporate Sponsors Mix Business With Politics - Joseph J. Schatz, Congressional Quarterly
Police Detain Protesters at Dem Convention - Sara Murray, Wall Street Journal ($)

Breaking on the Web: August 26, A.M. Edition

2008-08-26T11:13:00-05:00

Sen. Stevens’ Lawyers Lambaste ‘Smear’ - Richard Mauer and Erika Bolstad, Anchorage Daily News
U.S. Protesters Describe Beijing Detention - Lisa M. Collins, Vanity Fair
N. Korea Halts Nuclear Demolition - Blaine Harden, Washington Post
U.N. Envoy’s Ties to Pakistani Politician Questioned - Helene Cooper and Mark Mazzetti, New York Times
White House, House Judiciary Hold Secret Talks on Miers Subpoena - John Bresnahan, Politico
Report: Data Breaches on the Rise - Brian Krebs, Washington Post
Union Spending Scandal Spreads to Michigan - Paul Pringle, Los Angeles Times
Hundreds of Workers Held in Immigration Raid - Adam Nossiter, New York Times
U.S.: Afghan Officials Detain American Son of Terror Suspect - Carol D. Leonnig and Candace Rondeaux, Washington Post
12 States Sue EPA to Regulate Oil Refineries - Reuters
Govt Report: Medicare Fraud Greater than Thought - Christopher Lee, Washington Post
Ovarian Cancer Test May Do More Harm Than Good - Andrew Pollack, New York Times
Severe Delays for Anti-Terror System at Ports - Janie Lorber, Newsday
Feds Cite Texas Bus Operator After 2 Fatal Crashes - Danny Robbins, AP
TSA Detains Passenger Over Bra - Tyche Hendricks, San Francisco Chronicle
Bush Admin Seeks to Cut Whale-Protection Zones - David A. Fahrenthold, Washington Post
Obama Would Back a Bailout for Fannie, Freddie - Nick Timiraos, Wall Street Journal ($)
Obama, Biden on Opposite Sides of Controversial Bankruptcy Bill - Byron York, National Review

Breaking on the Web: August 25, P.M. Edition

2008-08-25T15:39:00-05:00

Environmentalists: Border Fence Causes Flooding - Arthur H. Rotstein, AP
Cracks in Glacier May Indicate Global Warming - Seth Borenstein, Los Angeles Times
EPA Fails to Collect Chemical Safety Data - Meg Kissinger and Susanne Rust, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Cheney Pushed Pro-VECO Bill After Stevens Asked - Newsweek Michael Isikoff and Tony Hopfinger, Newsweek
Wiretap Trial Sheds Light on Lawyers’ Work with Private Eyes - Victoria Kim, Los Angeles Times
New Orleans Still Needs the Military to Keep Order Post-Katrina - Dan Barry, New York Times
Names, SSNs of 50,000 Army Officers Were Compromised - Jim Tice, Army Times
Veterans’ Concussions Are Often Overlooked - Lizette Alvarez, New York Times
Contractors Face Loss of Immunity in Iraq - August Cole, Wall Street Journal ($)
After 5 Years of War, Iraqis Desperate for Water - Reuters
Merrill, SEC Agree to Auction-Rate Buybacks - Judith Burns, Wall Street Journal ($)
China Frees 8 American Protesters - Jill Drew, Washington Post
Calif. Won’t Investigate Sen. Schumer on IndyMac - Reuters
Report: Tax Loopholes Cost Billions Annually - Reuters
Pelosi Investment Shows Unlikely Energy Alliance - Ian Talley, Wall Street Journal ($)
Biden’s Son, Brother Named in Two Suits - Kimberly Kindy and Joe Stephens, Washington Post
Pentagon’s Intel Arm Steps Up Lie Detecting - AP
Indictments to Stand Against DeLay Associates - AP
Sen. Vitter Can Use Some Campaign Funds for Legal Fees - Jesse J. Holland, AP
NTSB: FAA Needs Faster Progress on Runway Safety - Jeffrey McMurray, AP
Loopholes Let Lawmakers Live Large at Conventions - Fredreka Schouten and Ken Dilanian, USA Today
Warning on Voting Machines Reveals Oversight Failure - Greg Gordon, McClatchy
Texas Truant Students to be Tracked Via Satellite - AP
NY’s Promise of Statewide Pre-K Remains Unfulfilled - Winnie Hu, New York Times
Inquiry into Higher-Education Group Finds Shady Dealings - Thomas Bartlett, Chronicle of Higher Education ($)

Biden’s Cozy Relations With Bank Industry

2008-08-25T11:36:00-05:00

by Eric Umansky -

With Sen. Joe Biden joining the Democratic ticket, there’s renewed scrutiny of Biden’s connections to the credit card industry. Biden has been particularly cozy with MBNA, a financial services company from Delaware, and now a subsidiary of Bank of America.

Over the past 20 years, MBNA has been Biden’s single largest contributor. And as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal note, Biden’s son Hunter was hired out of law school by MBNA and later worked as a lobbyist for the company.

The Times also details just how helpful Biden has been to MBNA and the credit card industry. The senator was a key supporter of an industry-favorite bill—the “Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005”—that actually made it harder for consumers to get protection under bankruptcy.

Breaking on the Web: August 25, A.M. Edition

2008-08-25T10:59:00-05:00

Clashing Views of MIT Grad Suspected of Terrorism - Larry Neumeister, AP
U.S. Admits Holding 11-Year-Old Son of MIT Terror Suspect - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
U.S. Urged Swiss to Destroy Evidence of Shady CIA Link - William J. Broad and David E. Sanger, New York Times
CIA More Fully Denies Deception About Iraq - Joby Warrick, Washington Post
U.S. Probes Afghan Claim that Raid Killed 70 Civilians - Candace Rondeaux and Javed Hamdard, Washington Post
Many Officials Reluctant to Help Feds Arrest Immigrants - Pamela Constable, Washington Post
Guards’ Lapses Cited in Gitmo Detainee Suicides - Josh White, Washington Post
After Prosecutor’s Firing, a Shift in Case - Carrie Johnson, Washington Post
Vetted Judges More Likely to Reject Asylum Bids - Charlie Savage, New York Times
DoD to Probe Fairness of Pay-for-Performance System - Brittany Ballenstedt, Government Executive
Unique Investigative Agency Tackles NYC Corruption - Adam Goldman, AP
Pentagon: Army Probe of Jewish Scientist was Biased - Vickie Elmer, Washington Post
Convention Donors Often Have Business Before Lawmakers and Regulators - Tom Hamburger and Vimal Patel, Los Angeles Times
DHS to Use Controversial Fusion Centers During Conventions - Jill R. Aitoro, Government Executive
FBI Saw Threat of Mortgage Crisis - Richard B. Schmitt, Los Angeles Times
Doctors: Insurers Increasingly Dictate Treatment Decisions - Steve Eder and Julie McKinnon, Toledo Blade
Thousands of Calif. Children May Lose Health Insurance - Jordan Rau, Los Angeles Times
Some Say Bus Owner Linked to Fatal Crash Cut Corners - James Pinkerton, Houston Chronicle
Study: Uninsured to Spend $30 Billion This Year - Jane Zhang, Wall Street Journal ($)
Obama Aides Defend Bank’s Pay to Biden Son - Christopher Drew and Mike McIntire, New York Times

Partying Under Adversity

2008-08-25T09:49:00-05:00

by Paul Kiel -

It depends on how you look at it. This week’s Democratic National Convention (and in September, the Republican convention) is a week-long orgy for special interest money, same as it ever was. Alternatively, what was once the quadrennial triumph for corporations and lobbying firms, the Olympics for influence peddling, has been ruined by a litany of new ethics rules; those brave enough to even put on an event are doing so in an atmosphere of fear.

It’s no surprise that government watchdogs (PDF) take the former view and lobbyists the latter.

This year’s conventions are the first to occur under the 2007 lobbying ethics and reform bill, which among other things, further limited what gifts a lawmaker could receive and what sort of events they could attend. Free meals are out, but hors d’oeuvres are OK—the so-called ”toothpick rule.” And lobbyists and corporations can no longer sponsor events to honor particular lawmakers (quite popular at the 2004 conventions), but events that honor a group of lawmakers are, according (PDF) to the House ethics committee, OK.

Breaking on the Web: August 22, P.M. Edition

2008-08-22T16:31:00-05:00

Updated 5:20 pm EDT

CIA Responds to Author’s Claims of Forged Iraq Letter - Editor & Publisher
Trial Begins for Former Marine Accused of Killing Iraqi Detainees - Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times
Two Marines Found in Contempt of Court in Case of Iraq Deaths - Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times
U.S. Military Frees Iraqi Journalist After 26 Days - Karin Laub, AP
Driver in Houston Bus Crash Had DWI, Other Convictions - Terri Langford, Houston Chronicle
Fed Chairman Urges Broader Oversight of Financial Firms - Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times
TSA: American Eagle Lags on Safety - Jon Hilkevitch, Chicago Tribune
Memphis Flounders on Reducing Infant Mortality Rates - Mary Powers, Commercial Appeal
Vanguard: SEC’s Rating Proposals Would Reduce Investor Protection - Duncan Ferr, Wall Street Journal ($)
DoJ Expands Probe of Texas Schools for Mentally Disabled - Janet Elliot, Houston Chronicle
Police Raid of Cincinnati Nursing Home Reveals Deplorable Conditions - Eileen Kelley and Dan Horn, Cincinnati Enquirer
Polar Bears’ Swim May Be a Sign of Global Warming - AP
Some Mass. Fishermen Fill Fish with Dangerous Lead - Steve Stecklow, Wall Street Journal ($)

This Week in Scandal Watch

2008-08-22T15:43:00-05:00

by Alexandra Andrews -

Every week, we take stock of how the week unfolded for the stories we’re tracking in Scandal Watch (see the right sidebar). Click here for more information on how we do this and to suggest additions.

1. Subprime Mortgages and Ratings Agencies

The FBI has opened an investigation into incentives—ranging from cars to tuition payments—that some home builders offered to buyers in order to boost sales. The practice is legal, but if those perks went undisclosed, they could have skewed house valuations and defrauded lenders ($). Meanwhile, the AP reports that the value of houses across the country may have been artificially inflated by home appraisers operating under weak oversight laws in order to boost mortgage brokers’ commissions.

The Orange County Register published a two-part story, reminiscent of the Miami Herald’s mortgage investigation, about a California scammer who defrauded victims and drove the homes of ten families into foreclosure; he was employed by mortgage lender after lender despite a criminal record and no real estate license.

GAO Investigating Medicare Auditors

2008-08-22T15:15:00-05:00

by Sharona Coutts -

We wrote yesterday about the new Medicare fraud scandal, and how agency officials allegedly pressured their private auditors to use questionable accounting methods, resulting in figures that greatly underestimated the extent of false and unsupported claims for medical equipment.

The information comes from a draft inspector general’s report detailed in the New York Times.

While the report focused on just medical equipment fraud, the company that did the audits, AdvanceMed, actually has many more contracts with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), for similar projects to do with tracking down false and undocumented medical claims.

The Government Accountability Office told us they’ve begun investigating one of those other projects.

Terror Watch List Technologically Troubled

2008-08-22T11:32:00-05:00

by Eric Umansky -

The U.S.’s terror watch list has long been criticized for being too broad. (List luminaries have included Sen. Ted Kennedy and a presumably precocious third-grader. Asked whether he was a terrorist, the child responded, ”I don’t know.") But it turns out, the list isn’t only too wide. According to congressional investigators, it’s also technologically hobbled.

According to the Wall Street Journal, which details the investigators’ findings ($), the current watch list database was built in a rush after 9/11 and uses seriously limited software. For instance, the list can’t be searched for keywords. Investigators also concluded that the database doesn’t include “potentially vital” messages from the Central Intelligence Agency.

Breaking on the Web: August 22, A.M. Edition

2008-08-22T10:59:00-05:00

Feds Scrap Self-Deport Plan for Immigrants - AP
Protect Our Kids from Preschool - Shikha Dalmia and Lisa Snell, Wall Street Journal Editorial Page ($)
Peace Corps to Pare Ranks of Volunteers - Christopher Lee, Washington Post
Protections Set for Antiabortion Health Workers - Rob Stein , Washington Post
Six Americans Detained By China - Andrew Jacobs, New York Times
Detroit Mayor Declines Resignation Deal, Heads to Trial for Assault - M.L. Elrick and Joe Swickard, Detroit Free Press
British Court Finds Detainee’s Claim of Torture Credible - Raymond Bonner, New York Times
Where Is the DoD IG Amidst Whisteblower Retaliation? - Beverley Lumpkin, POGO
DoD to Again Probe Post-Katrina Pumps in New Orleans - Janet McConnaughey, AP
Judge Orders Two Marines Refusing to Testify to Court - Chelsea J. Carter, AP
Boeing Says It Might Exit Tanker Bidding - Dana Hedgpeth, Washington Post
Air Force Seeks Steady Ground in Wake of High-Profile Blunders - Megan Scully, National Journal
Military Halts Shipment of Deadly Toxins - Pauline Jelinek , AP
Army Changes Costly Modernization Program Amid Congressional Concern - Megan Scully, National Journal
Michelle Obama’s Office Gave Contracts to Longtime Donor - Joe Stephens, Washington Post
Media Seeks Records in Antitrust Suit Against Intel - Wall Street Journal ($)
Congress Finds Flaws in Terrorist Watch List - Siobhan Gorman, Wall Street Journal ($)
Civil Rights Panel Faulted on Hiring Choice - Darryl Fears, Washington Post
Students Find NYC Restaurants Mislabel Fish - John Schwartz, New York Times
Gov’t Report: Bureau of Land Mgmt’s Sweetheart Deals Cost $100 Million - Derek Kravitz, Washington Post
Sen. Stevens Lashes Out on Radio Show - Kate Klonick, TPMmuckraker
Ohio Voting Machines Missed 1,000 Votes in Primary - AP
Agriprocessors Faced Claims of Abuse at Brooklyn Warehouse - Nathaniel Popper, Jewish Daily Forward