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.
Two days ago Iraq said it was kicking Eric Prince and his mercenary thugs out of Iraq. Yesterday, Iraq said it would review all the mercenary thugs (and legitimate security entities) to see if they could stay in Iraq. And today, the US announces a curb on land-based civilian travel.
The United States on Tuesday suspended all land travel by U.S.
The AP has the list of Congressmen whom Brent Wilkes has subpoenaed to appear at his trial. There are virtually no surprises on the list–all are either former or current Chairs of the Committees that knew of Wilkes’ behavior and/or noted earmarkers in their own right. Here’s why I think each person was subpoenaed.
Duncan Hunter, R-CA:
Following on yesterday’s announcement that it was withdrawing the license of Blackwater, Iraq’s government has announced it will review all the security contractors doing business in Iraq.
The Iraqi government said today that it would review the status of all foreign and local security companies working in Iraq after a shooting that left eight Iraqis dead.
I’m as skeptical as I was yesterday that this is going to achieve anything.
Remember that banana scandal, where a high-powered Republican lawyer advised Chiquita to go on paying right wing terrorists even though it was a felony? Where said high-powered Republican lawyer alleged that Michael Chertoff–the guy now in charge of protecting our country–told him that he could go on funding terrorists so long as he also cooperated with Administration investigations of the terrorists?
Back in June, the Bush Administration invited one of AT&T’s key lobbyists, Ed Gillespie, to serve as White House counselor. A few weeks after that, BushCo expanded AT&T’s resident lobbyist’s role to include most of Karl Rove’s portfolio. Just days after Gillespie took over that role, the DOJ made an unusual intervention into the FCC’s request for comments on Net Neutrality, weighing against Net Neutrality.
Well today, one of AT&T’s former key
Well, faced with losing his job, Michael Drake found a way to un-un-hire Erwin Chemerinsky.
UC Irvine Chancellor Michael V. Drake and Erwin Chemerinsky havereached an agreement that will return the liberal legal scholar to thedean’s post at the university’s new law school, the universityannounced this morning.
With the deal, they hope to end the controversy that erupted whenChemerinsky was dropped as the first dean of the Donald Bren School ofLaw.
That five star hotel that Tommy K was staying in in Greece? You and I are paying for it, it looks like.
A federal judge allowed a New York man who has admitted bribingformer North County U.S. Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham to remain free onbond, after an Assistant U.S. Attorney said at a hearing this morningthat the man’s recent trip to Greece was at the direction of federalagents.
U.S.
Wildarseguess here. But I have a hypothesis for why Bush pulled his Clement-Keisler headfake this morning.
Recall that, just last week, BushCo made an unusual intervention into the FCC’s deliberations over Net Neutrality.
Well, a lot of people have noted that Keisler’s most notable achievement at DOJ was his role in spiking the tobacco settlement.
So Paul Clement was Acting Attorney General for all of four hours this morning. But then Bush replaced him with the former (re-current?) head of the Civil Division, who had resigned but I guess is sticking around for a while (hat tip Pontificator).
It’s a pivotal time for our nation, and it’s vital that theposition of Attorney General be filled quickly.
A lot of you have asked what I think of the Mukasey nomination. I’m in the middle of day job stuff at the moment, so let me point you to what Glenn and looseheadprop have to say on Mukasey (which is really more valuable than what I could say anyway, since they’re the ones with JD after their name–LHPJD; it’s like a secret code!