The Daily MuckThe United States has used as many as 17 ships, or “floating prisons,” to interrogate prisoners, a British rights group alleges. The Pentagon denies the claims, yet an official said it was possible U.S. Navy ships had temporarily held combatants during moves to more permanent locations. (AFP)
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) continues its report of two mothers’ frustrating search for answers regarding the deaths of their sons, both former guards for private defense company Blackwater, while working in Iraq. Read part one of the account here. (The Plain Dealer)
Lawyers for Gitmo-detainee Omar Khadr are claiming the judge presiding over Khadr’s case, Judge Army Col. Peter Brownback, will be replaced due to favorable rulings the judge made for the defense. But Marine Col. Ralph Kohlmann, chief judge in the U.S. war crimes court at Guantanamo, the removal happened for reasons unrelated to the Khadr case. Khadr is suspected of killing an American soldier during a firefight in Afghanistan. (Reuters)
A Pentagon report released this morning is accusing Lockhead Martin of failing to meet industry standards in the management of their billion-dollar weapons program. The report also states Lockheed Martin does “not provide the requisite definition and discipline to properly plan and control complex, multi-billion dollar weapon systems acquisition programs.” (Project on Government Oversight)
Scott McClellan may be the one receiving all the attention for his stinging critique of the Bush White House years after he left his post with the administration. But before the hype about the former press secretary’s book was the recount of Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez (Ret.) and his time as commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. Sanchez documents the missteps made by the U.S. military in Iraq, as well as former Defense Sec. Donald Rumsfeld’s curious recollection on the exit of CENTCOM from Iraq. (ABC and Time)
Officials are calling for Dow Chemical to clean up dangerous amounts of dioxin in Saginaw, Mich. Testing done downstream from the company’s world headquarters found dioxin levels 23 times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s standards. EPA officials say even small doses of dioxin can cause cancer and disrupt the immune and reproductive systems. (Chicago Tribune)
The seven-year investigation of lawyer Melvyn I. Weiss and his former firm Milberg Weiss concluded Monday with Weiss receiving a 30-month sentence for concealing illegal kickbacks to plaintiffs. (New York Times)