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The Daily Muck
Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) is demanding that the American Psychiatric Association release an account of its financing. The request comes after investigations revealed that a large amount of the money the association receives comes from pharmaceutical companies, raising questions of a conflict of interest. (New York Times)
A survey by the Associated Press revealed that despite state laws granting public access to government e-mail, many states simply delete internal messages. In this practice, mirrored by the federal government, many state officials are given discretionary control over which emails are sent out under Freedom of Information requests and which are erased. (AP)
In response to allegations that he is getting a "special deal" on his rent, New York Representative Charlie Rangel (D-NY) came out with an angry defense on Friday. Rangel scoffed at the New York Times report that he was receiving unprecedented rent-stabilized apartments, saying that he "didn't see anything unfair about it." (AP)
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced Sunday that it plans to immediately begin an investigation to halt the spread of false information used to manipulate the prices of securities. The SEC chairman said the probe is aimed at "ensuring that investors continue to get reliable, accurate information about public companies in the marketplace." (Wall Street Journal)
A former U.S. Middle East diplomat was sentenced to one year in jail for sending racist threats to an Arab-American organization. The sentencing came after a guilty plea in light of emails the former diplomat sent, one of which included the phrase "the only good Arab is a dead Arab." The retired diplomat previously worked in the Human Resources division at the State Department. (Reuters)
Congress held hearings on Friday over the electrocutions of at least 13 Americans in Iraq due to poor wiring by the contractor KBR. The hearing featured testimony from two mothers of electrocuted soldiers as well as two disenchanted former KBR employees. KBR claimed no wrong-doing on Friday, and the investigation will continue. (Houston Chronicle)
Josh
Zachary
Representative Rangel is the beneficiary of below-market rents thanks to the NYC Rent Stabilization Law. Hundreds of thousands of NYC apartments are covered by this law. Rangel occupied his apartment for over twenty years; he added a contiguous unit ten years ago. As for the apartment he uses as an office, NY agencies don't bring eviction proceedings to recover rent stabilized units used for office space, but a landlord may choose to do so. Rep. Rangel should give up the unit he uses for office space, even though the rent he pays isn't really a "sweetheart deal." It's not like he's renting a townhouse in Washington for $600.00 a month.
July 14, 2008 12:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
The accepted abbreviation for Iowa is "IA" not "IW."
July 14, 2008 12:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
"...despite state laws granting public access to government e-mail, many states simply delete internal messages. In this practice, mirrored by the federal government, many state officials are given discretionary control over which emails are sent out..."
I know this is a nit-pick. I have a strong preference for "e-mail", rather than "email". (Unfortunately, it seems the TPM norm is the latter.)
Either way, however, I would expect that you'd choose one or the other, and stick with it, at least during the course of a single news item.
;-)
-- ARG
July 14, 2008 3:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I just have to get this off my chest.
Watching the media coverage of Tony Snow's death, I was struck by something when they showed an old interview with Mr. Snow where he gets teary thinking about his children.
How many times have we seen this from conservatives and Republicans? When something affects them directly, they are suddenly all compassion and tenderness. But prior to their own tragedy they are cold hearted bastards.
I'm sure Mr. Snow had great health insurance, the best of care, sick leave and that he left his family well provided for financially. How many other Americans have had colon cancer without some or all of those advantages? How many fought thier disease as "valiantly" (repeated over and over) but whose families were left bankrupt and homeless because they weren't lucky enough to have insurance, or missed so much work they were fired?
But for all his years on FOX, and as mouthpiece for Bush, Snow never gave a damn. So while I'm sorry, because "any man's death diminishes me" I'll save my sympathy for the unlucky.
July 14, 2008 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink