John Hannah: Unitary Executives Can Assassinate Enemy Leaders

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emptywheel
John Hannah basically confirmed Sy Hersh's reporting that JSOC had an assassination squad that bypassed normal channels of command.

Bob Corker: "Bust the UAW Already, Obama!!!"

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emptywheel
Bob Corker's wailing up a storm because Obama hasn't busted the UAW yet. And then he's wailing up a storm to keep his UAW GM plant in TN.

Obama Moves GM and Chrysler Towards Bankruptcy

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emptywheel
Let me start by saying I'm non-plussed by the call for Rick Wagoner's head. I think Wagoner was making the right moves recently, but he was also responsible for years of inaction. So I'm not sorry to see him gone. In any case, Obama is forcing out the entire board of GM, so Wagoner would have had to go anyway. That said, here's what Obama seems to be announcing today:Chrysler will be
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Cheney Lies, Obstruction Of Justice & Torture Tape Destruction

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emptywheel
Marcy noted earlier the article in today's Washington Post by Peter Finn and Joby Warrick detailing the story surrounding abu-Zubaydah's capture and torture. I want to pick up where Marcy left off; i.e. the evidence that nothing was obtained from abu-Zubaydah's torture is the reason the torture tapes destroyed.

They're Not Tax Havens ... They're Secrecy Havens

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emptywheel
We need to close tax havens not just because they're tax havens. They're also one of the tools corporations are using to hide risk.

Citi and AIG Didn't Still Don't Get It

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emptywheel
Fox Business News has an article describing what it got in response to a FOIA request for Treasury documents on the bailout. While most of the interesting details were redacted because of attorney-client privilege, the documents do reveal the extent to which Citi and AIG were as arrogant when Treasury was negotiating this stuff as they have been in recent weeks.

They Should Have Listened to Noor al-Deen

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emptywheel
The same night they captured Abu Zubaydah, the US got a young associate of his, Noor al-Deen, who warned them Abu Zubaydah was not who they thought he was. But the US ignored that information and tortured Abu Zubaydah anyway.

The Torture Tape Library, Episode 51

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emptywheel
Judge Hellerstein, after reviewing some contents from the CIA's torture tape library, has taken the next step in forcing CIA to turn over some of that information to the ACLU.

Trash Talk - F1 Circus Begins and Elite Eight

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emptywheel
It is here; can you feel the anticipation? That's right, the start of the 2009 Formula One season with the Australian GP. Also on tap is the NCAA Elite Eight.

Deferred Prosecution Agreements and AIG

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emptywheel
Remember the flap in the last few years about deferred prosecution agreements? The flap started when it was reported that John Ashcroft's firm had gotten a $52 million deal from his former colleague, NJ US Attorney Chris Christie, to monitor an out-of-court settlement with medical device company Zimmer Holdings. Bush's DOJ loved the deferred prosecution agreements because it provided a way to "crack down" on corporate crime without dismantling the company.
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What If Big Media Became a Systemic Risk?

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emptywheel
There were two interesting questions Tim Geithner didn't answer today. Whether he knows of another systemically large non-bank that might fail, and what would happen if GE Capital posed a systemic risk.

Yet More House Finance Hearing Geithner Liveblog, Part Two

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emptywheel
First liveblog thread here. Castle: I want to address what you didn't address. Collins, stability management council. Unanimous agreement we need to do something.

Geithner Likes It Naked

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emptywheel
Joe Donnelly asked Tim Geithner whether we ought to eliminate naked default swaps, arguing that it's too hard to distinguish hedges from gambling. Donnelly pointed out that we're taking money out of truck drivers' pockets and waitress' pockets to pay off Wall Street's gambling debts. Ultimately, though, Geithner said we don't need to--and that it would be very hard to--do that.
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Did Chuck Todd Ask about Sacrifice because He's Been Asked to Sacrifice?

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emptywheel
Turns out that Chuck Todd has probably been asked to hold off on any pay raises he has gotten recently. Maybe that's why he's so insistent that Main Street "start" making sacrifices.

Yet More House Finance Hearing Geithner Liveblog

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emptywheel
If I understand the rules Barney Frank laid down on Tuesday, the members who waited patiently but never got a chance to ask questions on Tuesday (people like Alan Grayson) get to go first. You can follow along at CSPAN3 or the committee stream. Frank: When Geithner and Bernanke here on Tuesday, these members were here when they had to leave:

"Reasonable grounds to conclude"

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emptywheel
It took a month longer for BushCo to invoke state secrets in the al-Haramain suit than they did in the ACLU suit. In the interim period, they appear to have redefined the program, so as to admit they didn't have proof that al-Haramain was "associated with al Qaeda."
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Declining Justice: DOJ Lets Statute Run On Bush Criminality

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emptywheel
On March 10, 2009 Emptywheel noted that the five year statute of limitation on the initial criminal wiretapping acts by the Bush/Cheney Administration in the al-Haramain case were expiring. Now the final statute of limitations on the criminal wiretaps of al-Haramain has expired as of 12 pm last night.
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