Author Archive for: emptywheel
About emptywheel
Marcy Wheeler is an independent journalist writing about national security and civil liberties. She writes as emptywheel at her eponymous blog, publishes at outlets including Vice, Motherboard, the Nation, the Atlantic, Al Jazeera, and appears frequently on television and radio. She is the author of Anatomy of Deceit, a primer on the CIA leak investigation, and liveblogged the Scooter Libby trial.
Marcy has a PhD from the University of Michigan, where she researched the “feuilleton,” a short conversational newspaper form that has proven important in times of heightened censorship. Before and after her time in academics, Marcy provided documentation consulting for corporations in the auto, tech, and energy industries. She lives with her spouse in Grand Rapids, MI.
Entries by emptywheel
Not Just Immunity
/14 Comments/in FISA, Intelligence/by emptywheelIn his meeting with some DFH bloggers yesterday, Russ Feingold made a point I’ve been pushing for some time: we need to be as worried about the other aspects of the FISA bill, particularly whether it protects US person data and US persons traveling overseas, as much as we need to worry about immunity. And while I’m not optimistic that we’ll win the immunity battle, I wonder whether we can poison the bill by attending to those other issues.
For Fear Of Fear – Part One
/56 Comments/in Bingo, Bush Administration, emptywheel, FISA, Intelligence, Unitary Executive/by emptywheelIt has been an exciting and fascinating two days, yesterday and today. It has been the best and worst of American democracy in action. The thrill of victory in stopping the contemptible SSCI bill with telco immunity yesterday, and the defeat today in extending the similarly contemptible Protect America Act.
Chuck Schumer: We Will Fix the Bankruptcy Bill
/77 Comments/in Economics/by emptywheelWe just had a panel on economic issues, with Byron Dorgan, Chuck Schumer, and Sherrod Brown. It took until the last question–mine–for anyone to bring up the Bankruptcy Bill.
From these three Senators, there was little dispute: the Bankruptcy Bill was a bad bill and it needed to be fixed. There was also the recognition that the part of the bill that pertained to protecting houses had exacerbated the foreclosure crisis.
That’s
Reid Thanks Christy and McJoan on FISA
/57 Comments/in FISA/by emptywheelI’m at a schmoozy event at the Senate today–Harry Reid gave an opening speech focusing on the areas where progressive loud mouths have really helped out the Senate.
He spoke for a bit about FISA–repeating what he has said publicly (that if the Republicans won’t accept a PAA extension, then it will expire).
Bush Would Forgo New FISA Programs to Make Sure Dick Gets Immunity
/92 Comments/in Intelligence, Unitary Executive/by emptywheelBush says he wants a new FISA bill, and he wants it now.
The White House told Democratic congressional leaders Saturday that President Bush opposes a 30-day extension of an expiring eavesdropping law and instead wants an expanded version to be passed by Friday.
“The president would veto a 30-day extension,” a senior administration official said.
Mukasey, Orwell, and Bradbury
/122 Comments/in Culture, Law/by emptywheelKeith Olbermann notes, with great dismay, that Michael Mukasey chose to hang a portrait of George Orwell in his office (the other portrait is Chief Justice Robert Jackson, which makes me quite happy). I’m willing to take Mukasey’s word that he admires Orwell for his writing (and his thoughts on language). Yet I don’t know how to square that with Mukasey’s endorsement of the Bradbury renomination.