ACS Weekend News Round-up: 10/9/2007
News In Brief
Congress Expected to Extend Warrantless Wiretapping
The New York Times reports "two months after vowing to roll back broad new wiretapping powers won by the Bush administration, [Congress] appear[s] ready to make concessions that could extend some of the key powers granted to the National Security Agency." "The bill to be proposed Tuesday by the Democratic leaders of the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees would impose more controls over the N.S.A.’s powers, including quarterly audits by the Justice Department’s inspector general. It would also give the foreign intelligence court a role in approving, in advance, “basket” or “umbrella” warrants for bundles of overseas communications, according to a Congressional official." The House version of the bill would not give retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that participated in the National Security Agencies' wiretapping program; retroactive immunity is still being considered for the Senate version.
Supreme Court Grants No New Cases
Scotusblog reports that the Supreme Court did not grant certiorari to any new cases today, and turned down a petition to hear a case that challenged the so-called "state secrets" privilege.
NPR: New White House "Torture" Memos May Make Mukasey's Confirmation More Difficult
“The White House says the United States does not torture. That was the response to a report in The New York Times citing two Justice Department memos authorizing painful interrogation techniques for terror suspects. The reports will make confirmation more difficult for Michael Mukasey, nominee for the Attorney General post,” National Public Radio reported on Friday. NPR added today: “Senators at Judge Michael Mukasey's confirmation hearing to be attorney general are likely to ask about many of his writings,” including a Wall Street Journal opinion piece that suggests the country could benefit from a National Security Court, specifically designed to try “accused terrorists.”
NYT: Private Insurers Defrauded Tens of Thousands of Medicare Recipients
Ninety-one audit reports obtained by the New York Times revealed that "tens of thousands of Medicare recipients have been victims of deceptive sales tactics and had claims improperly denied by private insurers that run the system’s huge new drug benefit program and offer other private insurance options encouraged by the Bush administration." According to the article, "The audits document widespread violations of patients’ rights and consumer protection standards."
Supreme Court Sentencing Cases
Sentencing Law and Policy blog has a useful post with several articles about the Supreme Court sentencing cases that were heard last week. The LA Times featured an editorial entitled: “Do the crime, do how much time? The Supreme Court should find an equilibrium between judicial discretion and strict guidelines on criminal sentences.”
Congress Defines "Journalist"
The Washington Post examined the Free Flow of Information Act of 2007: “One of the biggest issues is just who is a journalist, or in the phrase the bill uses, a ‘covered person.’ Once that definition is clarified -- and even Judiciary members say it's not settled -- a journalist would under most circumstances not have to disclose to federal authorities or in civil lawsuits the identity of sources who have been promised confidentiality.”
The Washington Post Reports on Departures from the White House
An interesting article in the Washington Post explores the attitudes of former White House staffers.
- Legislation Introduced This Week to Extend Warrantless Wiretapping
- No New Supreme Court Grants of Certiorari
- Torture Memos May Hurt A.G. Nominee Mukasey's Confirmation
- Private Insurers Defrauded Tens of Thousands of Medicare Recipients
- Sentencing Cases Round-up
- Legislation to Define "Journalist"
- Life After the White House
Congress Expected to Extend Warrantless Wiretapping
The New York Times reports "two months after vowing to roll back broad new wiretapping powers won by the Bush administration, [Congress] appear[s] ready to make concessions that could extend some of the key powers granted to the National Security Agency." "The bill to be proposed Tuesday by the Democratic leaders of the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees would impose more controls over the N.S.A.’s powers, including quarterly audits by the Justice Department’s inspector general. It would also give the foreign intelligence court a role in approving, in advance, “basket” or “umbrella” warrants for bundles of overseas communications, according to a Congressional official." The House version of the bill would not give retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that participated in the National Security Agencies' wiretapping program; retroactive immunity is still being considered for the Senate version.
Supreme Court Grants No New Cases
Scotusblog reports that the Supreme Court did not grant certiorari to any new cases today, and turned down a petition to hear a case that challenged the so-called "state secrets" privilege.
NPR: New White House "Torture" Memos May Make Mukasey's Confirmation More Difficult
“The White House says the United States does not torture. That was the response to a report in The New York Times citing two Justice Department memos authorizing painful interrogation techniques for terror suspects. The reports will make confirmation more difficult for Michael Mukasey, nominee for the Attorney General post,” National Public Radio reported on Friday. NPR added today: “Senators at Judge Michael Mukasey's confirmation hearing to be attorney general are likely to ask about many of his writings,” including a Wall Street Journal opinion piece that suggests the country could benefit from a National Security Court, specifically designed to try “accused terrorists.”
NYT: Private Insurers Defrauded Tens of Thousands of Medicare Recipients
Ninety-one audit reports obtained by the New York Times revealed that "tens of thousands of Medicare recipients have been victims of deceptive sales tactics and had claims improperly denied by private insurers that run the system’s huge new drug benefit program and offer other private insurance options encouraged by the Bush administration." According to the article, "The audits document widespread violations of patients’ rights and consumer protection standards."
Supreme Court Sentencing Cases
Sentencing Law and Policy blog has a useful post with several articles about the Supreme Court sentencing cases that were heard last week. The LA Times featured an editorial entitled: “Do the crime, do how much time? The Supreme Court should find an equilibrium between judicial discretion and strict guidelines on criminal sentences.”
Congress Defines "Journalist"
The Washington Post examined the Free Flow of Information Act of 2007: “One of the biggest issues is just who is a journalist, or in the phrase the bill uses, a ‘covered person.’ Once that definition is clarified -- and even Judiciary members say it's not settled -- a journalist would under most circumstances not have to disclose to federal authorities or in civil lawsuits the identity of sources who have been promised confidentiality.”
The Washington Post Reports on Departures from the White House
An interesting article in the Washington Post explores the attitudes of former White House staffers.
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