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Chris
Dodd
- 
Corporate
- 
Government
- 
Spy
- 
Law
- 
Intelligence
- 
Politics
- 
Telephone
- 
Internet
- 
E-Mails
- 
Electronic
- Civil
Liberties - 2008
Election - 
Foreign
- 
American
- 
Nevada
- 
Conn
- 
Wisc
- VT
- 
Mass
- "Spy
law showdown postponed until next year." ... "Congress
won't decide until next year whether to pass a complex law that would let
telephone and Internet companies off the hook from lawsuits alleging illicit
cooperation with federal government spies." ... "In something of an unexpected
move, U.S. Senate Majority Leader [Nevada Democratic Senator] Harry Reid
took to the Senate floor on Monday evening and announced he would postpone
debate on the so-called FISA Amendments Act [FISA: Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act]. That bill, which has already been approved in a closed-door
meeting of the Senate Intelligence Committee, would grant such corporate
immunity and make it easier for the feds to snoop on phone calls and e-mails
involving foreigners and Americans without a warrant, drawing rampant criticism
from civil liberties groups." ... "Earlier
in the day, however, it appeared more certain that the Senate would
move ahead with a vote to approve the
controversial Senate measure, which would provide legal immunity to
electronic communications providers that have allegedly opened up their
networks to the National Security Agency and other federal spies since
the September 11, 2001 attacks. Above vocal objections from some Democrats,
the senators nevertheless voted 76-10 to limit debate and other stalling
tactics related to the bill." ... "But in the end, last-minute rallying
from Democrats opposed to the telecommunications immunity provisions applied
the necessary pressure." ... "Perhaps most notably, [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate and Connecticut Senator] Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.),
a presidential hopeful, devoted
nearly the entire day to delivering one impassioned speech after another
about his opposition to granting legal immunity to telecommunications companies
accused of providing illegal assistance to government spying programs.
Other influential Democratic senators, including [Wisconsin Democratic
Senator] Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.), [Vermont Democratic Senator] Patrick
Leahy (D-Vt.), and [Massachusetts Democratic Senator] Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.)
echoed his concerns at various points during the day." -By
Anne Broache -CNET
Karl
Rove
- 
Joshua
Bolten
- 
Sara
Taylor
- 
Harriet
Miers
- J
Scott Jennings - 
US
Attorneys - Politics
- VT
- "Leahy
Rejects Bush Privilege Claim." ... "A Senate chairman
said Thursday that [Republican] President Bush was not involved in the
firings of U.S. attorneys last winter, and he therefore ruled illegal the
president's executive privilege claims protecting his chief of staff, Josh
Bolten, and former adviser Karl Rove." ... "Senate Judiciary Committee
Chairman [Vermont Democratic Senator] Patrick Leahy directed Bolten, Rove,
former White House political director Sara Taylor and her deputy, J. Scott
Jennings, to comply "immediately" with their subpoenas for documents and
information about the White House's role in the firings of U.S. attorneys."
... "The ruling is a formality that clears the way for Leahy's panel to
vote on whether to advance the citations to the full Senate." ... "House
leaders also have filed a contempt citation in their chamber against Bolten
and former [Republican President] White House Counsel Harriet Miers, but
no floor vote has been scheduled." -By Laurie Kellman
-AP via -SFGate.com
Michael
Mukasey
- Torture
- Politics
- Government
- 
Enforcement
- Vermont
- "Bush
nominee Mukasey draws more heat on torture." ...
"Michael Mukasey, [Republican] U.S. President George W. Bush's nominee
to be attorney general, said on Tuesday he does not know if any waterboarding
interrogation methods that may be used by the United States constitute
unlawful torture." ... "Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat[ic
Senator], said he was unsatisfied with Mukasey's letter, written in response
to questions submitted to him after his confirmation hearing earlier this
month." ... ""I remain very concerned that Judge Mukasey finds himself
unable to state unequivocally that waterboarding is illegal and below the
standards and values of the United States," Leahy said." ... "Leahy said
he will await Mukasey's written responses to other questions before scheduling
a committee vote on whether to send the nominee to the Senate for confirmation
as the chief U.S. law enforcement officer." -By Thomas
Ferraro with contributions by Richard Cowan
-Reuters
Alberto
R Gonzales - Political
- US
Attorneys - Government
- 
Jobs
- Surveillance
- Intelligence
- Enforcement
- Vermont
- "Justice
Department Investigating Whether Gonzales Misled Congress."
... "The Justice Department’s inspector general is examining the veracity
of congressional testimony by embattled Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales."
... "[Vermont Democratic Senator Patrick] Leahy and other lawmakers are
not convinced that Gonzales did not lie to them about several matters,
including: the U.S. attorney dismissals; a 2004 hospital room encounter
involving Gonzales and former Attorney General John Ashcroft; and the Justice
Department’s misuse of its investigative tools. Four other Senate Judiciary
Democrats have asked Solicitor General Paul D. Clement to appoint a special
counsel to explore whether Gonzales has perjured himself." -By
Keith Perine -CQ.com
Kid
- Safe
- 
Health
- Consumer
- Manufacturers
- 
Mo
- Vt
- 
Me
- US
- 
China
- "U.S.-Made
Toys Benefit From China’s Troubles." ... "Whittle
Shortline Railroad, a company in Louisiana, Mo. [Missouri], that makes
wooden trains and trucks, posted a banner on its Web site several weeks
ago: “100 percent kid-safe,” it read, “with lead-free paints.” Mike Whitworth,
the company’s owner, said the recent recalls of Chinese-made toys found
to contain lead in their paint has been good for his business. Very good."
... "With about 80 percent of the toys sold in the United States manufactured
in China, the relatively few manufacturers of American-made toys who remain
have relied to some extent on snob appeal and survived mostly by emphasizing
the quality of their products — even if they cost more money." ... "But
some are now pointing to another competitive advantage: you can count on
them to be lead free." ... "“It’s created a lot of buzz,” said Mike Rainville,
owner of Maple Landmark toys in Middlebury, Vt. [Vermont], who said his
company had experienced a “nudge” in sales." ... "Sue Dennison, co-owner
of Roy Toy, which is based in East Machias, Me. [Maine], said orders were
up about 25 percent over the last several weeks." -By
Andrew Martin -NYTimes
Karl
Rove
- Scott
Jennings - US
Attorneys - Political
- Government
- E-Mail
- Internet
- Presidential
Records Act - Vermont
- "Rove
a no-show at hearing, aide skirts questions." ...
"The top aide to White House political adviser Karl Rove refused to answer
at least a dozen questions from a Senate committee Thursday about the firings
of eight U.S. attorneys last year, asserting -- as expected -- a claim
of executive privilege by [Republican] President Bush." ... "Scott Jennings,
who also is a special assistant to Bush, arrived at the Senate Judiciary
Committee hearing with his attorney, Mark Paoletta, to avoid a contempt
citation." ... "The panel had subpoenaed both Jennings and Rove, but Rove
refused to show up, angering [Vermont Democratic Senator] Chairman Patrick
Leahy, D-Vermont." ... ""I consider that blanket claim (of executive privilege)
to be unsubstantiated," Leahy said he told Jennings before the meeting."
... "The senators sought answers about e-mail sent by dozens of White House
staff using e-mail accounts provided through a Republican National Committee
Internet address." ... "In March, congressional investigators found evidence
that White House staffers had used those e-mail accounts to discuss government
business -- including the firings of the U.S. attorneys -- in violation
of the Presidential Records Act. The law is aimed at keeping government
business separate from partisan political activities." ... ""Mr. Rove has
given reasons for the firings that have now been shown to be inaccurate,
after-the-fact fabrications," Leahy said in a statement issued Wednesday
evening. "Yet he now refuses to tell this committee the truth about his
role in targeting well-respected U.S. attorneys for firing and in seeking
to cover up his role and that of his staff in the scandal.""
-CNN
Alberto
Gonzales - Karl
Rove
- Political
- Government
- Law
- Enforcement
- Intelligence
- Surveillance
- 
History
- Vermont
- "Democrats
seek perjury probe of Gonzales." ... "Democratic
U.S. senators on Thursday urged that U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
be investigated for possible perjury and issued a subpoena to senior [Republican]
White House political adviser Karl Rove." ... ""Not since the darkest days
of the Nixon Administration have we seen efforts to corrupt federal law
enforcement for partisan political gain and such efforts to avoid accountability,"
[Vermont Democratic Senator] Patrick Leahy said." ... "Gonzales testified
earlier this year that "there has not been any serious disagreement" within
the [Republican President Bush] administration about its surveillance program,
which critics denounced as illegal. Bush has contended wartime powers allowed
him to conduct it." ... "Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey told
Congress in May, however, that concerns about the program were voiced at
a 2004 meeting and a number officials had threatened to resign." ... "Testifying
at a hearing by the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on Thursday,
FBI Director Robert Mueller backed up Comey's version of the meeting."
... ""The discussion was on a national -- an NSA (National Security Agency)
program that has been much discussed, yes," Mueller said. Asked if he had
had serious reservations about it, Mueller said, "Yes."" (1, 2,
3))
-By Thomas Ferraro with contributions by Jim Vicini,
Matt Spetalnick, and Jeremy Pelofsky -Reuters
Alberto
Gonzales - Law
- Enforcement
- Politics
- US
Attorneys - Spying
- Civil
Liberty - VT
- 
Pennsylvania
- "Senate
panel questions Gonzales' credibility." ... "Democratic
and Republican senators openly questioned Attorney General Alberto Gonzales'
credibility Tuesday in hearings in which the top U.S. law enforcement officer
denied his department had any morale problems and said he intended to remain
in office to fix any shortcomings." ... "Gonzales testified before the
Senate Judiciary Committee on a series of hot-button issues, including
the firing of eight U.S. attorneys and Gonzales' attempt to get his ailing
predecessor to approve, from a hospital bed, a controversial plan for domestic
eavesdropping." ... "[Vermont Democratic Senator] Chairman Patrick Leahy,
D-Vt., set the tone in an opening statement when he said Gonzales has "a
severe credibility problem."" ... "Leahy said the Bush administration had
squandered the committee's trust "with a history of civil liberty abuses
and cover-ups."" ... ""I don't trust you," Leahy told Gonzales." ... "Leahy
was followed by a visibly angry [Republican Senator] Sen. Arlen Specter
of Pennsylvania, the top Republican on the committee, who challenged Gonzales'
role in the hospital-room scene in which then-attorney general John Ashcroft
was asked to approve a wiretapping plan he had earlier rejected." ... ""It
seems to me that it is just decimating, Mr. attorney general, as to both
your judgment and your credibility," Specter said. "And the list goes on
and on."" -Contributed to by Douglas Stanglin -AP
-USATODAY
Dick
Cheney
- Secret
- Electronic
- Communications
- Surveillance
- 
Terrorism
- Politics
- Vermont
- Civil
Liberties - Enforcement
- "Bush
won't supply subpoenaed documents." ... "The Senate
committee investigating the Bush administration's controversial domestic
wiretapping program subpoenaed the [Republican President Bush] White House,
Vice President Dick Cheney's office and the Justice Department today for
information regarding their legal justification for the warrantless secret
surveillance." ... "The subpoenas by the Judiciary Committee set the stage
for another legal and political battle between Senate Democrats and the
administration over its counter-terrorism and law enforcement policies.
Earlier subpoenas issued by Democratic lawmakers to current and former
White House officials have essentially been ignored." ... "[Democratic
Vermont Senator Patrick] Leahy noted that the Judiciary Committee was charged
with oversight of the executive branch in the areas of constitutional protections
and
the civil liberties of Americans. "The warrantless electronic surveillance
program directly impacts those responsibilities," Leahy wrote. "We cannot
conduct this oversight without knowing the legal arguments the administration
has used to justify interception of the communications of Americans without
a warrant."" -By Terence Hunt
-LAtimes
Alberto
Gonzales - Government
- US
Attorneys - Lawmakers
- 2008
Election - Vermont
- Connecticut
- 
New
York
- 
Delaware
- 
Illinois
- 
Kansas
- 
Arizona
- "Senate
Republicans Block Vote on Alberto Gonzales (Update1)."
... "A resolution to express ``no confidence'' in Alberto Gonzales, [Republican]
President George W. Bush's embattled attorney general, was blocked by U.S.
Senate Republicans who called it a meaningless gesture." ... "Congressional
Democrats are investigating whether eight U.S. attorneys were dismissed
last year because of political pressure from the president's staff. The
Justice Department has given conflicting accounts of why the prosecutors
were fired. Lawmakers of both parties challenged Gonzales's candor when
he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the dismissals
on April 19." ... "Bush, traveling in Bulgaria today, called the vote ``meaningless''
because it won't determine ``who serves in my government. There's been
no wrongdoing.''" ... "The 53 voting to end debate included 45 Democrats,
seven Republicans and independent Bernard Sanders of Vermont. Those voting
not to shut off debate included 37 Republicans and independent Joseph Lieberman
of Connecticut." ... "New York [Democratic] Senator Hillary Clinton, a
Democratic presidential candidate, voted to end debate. Other senators
who are [2008 election] presidential candidates didn't vote, including
Democrats Joseph Biden of Delaware, Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and
Barack Obama of Illinois and Republicans Sam Brownback of Kansas and John
McCain of Arizona. " -By James Rowley
-Bloomberg
Karl
Rove
- Government
- E-Mail
- Law
- US
Attorneys - Politics
- Internet
- Archive
- VT
- "Leahy
Says Bush Aides Lied About E-Mails." ... "[Republican]
President Bush's aides are lying about White House e-mails sent on a Republican
account that might have been lost, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman
Patrick Leahy [Vermont Democratic Senator] said Thursday, vowing to subpoena
those documents if the administration fails to cough them up." ... ""They
say they have not been preserved. I don't believe that!" Leahy shouted
from the Senate floor." ... ""You can't erase e-mails, not today. They've
gone through too many servers," said Leahy, D-Vt. "Those e-mails are there,
they just don't want to produce them. We'll subpoena them if necessary.""
... "Democrats say the firings might have been improper, but that probe
yielded a weightier question: Whether White House officials such as political
adviser Karl Rove are purposely conducting sensitive official presidential
business via non-governmental accounts to evade a law [the Hatch Act] requiring
preservation — and eventual disclosure — of presidential records." ...
""E-mails don't get lost," Leahy insisted. "These are just e-mails they
don't want to bring forward."" ... "The revelation about the e-mails escalates
a standoff between the Democrat-controlled Congress and the White House
over the prosecutor firings." -By Laurie Kellman
-AP via -SFGate.com
Gonzales
- Monica
Goodling - US
Attorneys - Political
- Law
Enforcement - VT
- "Aide
to Gonzales Won't Testify: Counselor Cites Fifth
Amendment Right in Refusal." ... "Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales's
senior counselor [Monica M. Goodling] yesterday refused to testify in the
Senate about her involvement in the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, invoking
her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination." ... "Goodling's
refusal to testify illustrates the rising political and legal stakes surrounding
the removal of the federal prosecutors, and underscores the fissures developing
among Gonzales and his current and former senior aides as the attorney
general struggles to keep his job." ... "The decision means a senior aide
to the nation's top law enforcement official is in the remarkable position
of refusing to testify for fear of implicating herself in a crime. Her
lawyer portrays the move as strategic and says she has done nothing wrong."
... "House and Senate Democrats said they were disappointed that Goodling
would not testify. Several raised questions about her motives." ... ""The
American people are left to wonder what conduct is at the base of Ms. Goodling's
concern that she may incriminate herself in connection with criminal charges
if she appears before the committee under oath," said [Vermont Democratic
Senator] Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee."
(1, 2)
-By Dan Eggen with contributions by Peter Baker and
Paul Kane -WashingtonPost
Government
- Computer
- Intelligence
- Database
- Privacy
- Politics
- Transportation
- 
Flight
- VT
- "Senate
Judiciary Committee to focus on government data-mining privacy issues."
... "The incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee used his first
hearing of the 110th Congress to call for greater congressional oversight
of the administration’s data collection activities." ... "Sen. Patrick
Leahy (D-Vt. [Democrat-Vermont]) said he would reintroduce today the Federal
Agency Data-Mining Reporting Act, which would require agencies to inform
Congress of their data-mining programs. The senator and several witnesses
testifying at Wednesday’s hearing said that unregulated government databases
pose a threat to citizens’ privacy without necessarily improving national
security." ... "“I think Congress is overdue in taking stock of government
databases that increasingly are collecting and sifting more and more information
about each and every American,” Leahy said." ... "He said the Bush administration
has repeatedly ignored privacy laws and bypassed Congress in development
of programs such as the Transportation Security Administration’s Secure
Flight system to identify travelers who pose security risks." ... "The
hearing and the proposed legislation used a loose definition of the term
data mining, applying it to any type of database search." -By
William Jackson
-GCN.com
Privacy
- Law
- Terrorism
- Politics
- Secret
- 
Military
- Government
- Intelligence
- Phone
- Database
- VT
- Ariz.-
"NSA
Program Revealed: An article in Thursday's USA Today
reported that three of the largest U.S. phone companies [AT&T, Bell
South and Verizon] have been providing the National Security Agency with
phone records from millions of Americans since 9/11."
John
Roberts
- Vermont
- Nevada
- Massachusetts
-
- "Leahy
Says He Will Vote to Confirm Chief Justice Nominee."
... "The ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee said today
that he would vote to confirm Judge John G. Roberts Jr. as the 17th chief
justice of the United States, having concluded that the nominee is "a man
of integrity" who is not shackled to an "ideological agenda."" ... "Senator
Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont announced his intention on the Senate floor,
less than 24 hours after the Democratic minority leader, Senator Harry
Reid of Nevada, said he would vote against Judge Roberts." ... "On Tuesday,
[Massachusetts Senator] Mr. Kennedy said, as expected, that he would vote
no, and today his fellow Massachusetts senator, John Kerry, said he would
vote against Judge Roberts on the Senate floor." ... ""I still find that
something is missing," Mr. Kerry said, complaining that the administration
had withheld some vital information about the nominee, and that Judge Roberts
had not helped matters with his answers before the committee." (1, 2)
-By Sheryl Gay Stolberg and David D. Kirkpatrick
-NYTimes
Hurricane
Katrina - Disaster
- NY
- VT
- GOV
- "Senate
kills bid for Katrina commission." ... "Senate Republicans
on Wednesday scuttled an attempt by Sen. Hillary Clinton to establish an
independent, bipartisan panel patterned after the 9/11 Commission to investigate
what went wrong with federal, state and local governments' response to
Hurricane Katrina." ... "The New York Democrat's bid to establish the panel
— which would have also made recommendations on how to improve the government's
disaster response apparatus — failed to win the two-thirds majority needed
to overcome procedural hurdles. Clinton got only 44 votes, all from Democrats
and independent Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont. Fifty-four Republicans all
voted no." ... "In a CNN/USA Today Gallup poll taken Sept. 8-11 [2005],
70% of those surveyed supported an independent panel to investigate the
government's response to Katrina. Only 29% were opposed."
-AP via -USATODAY
John
G. Roberts Jr.
- Marketing
- Vermont
-
- "Sen.
Leahy: Roberts ads a waste of money." ... "The Senate
Judiciary Committee's top Democrat assailed advocacy-group commercials
for and against Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, suggesting they won't
sway senators weighing his confirmation." ... "In an interview with The
Associated Press this week, [Vermont Senator Patrick] Leahy said he regretted
the presidential campaign-style broadcast advertisements and said he didn't
think anybody should take a hard line — either way — until Roberts has
been heard at confirmation hearings beginning Sept. 6." -By
Christopher Graff -AP
via -OregonLive.com
Massachusetts
- Gay
- 
-
- Vermont
- Connecticut
- "One
year later, nation divided on gay marriage: Split
seen by region, age, Globe poll finds." ... "Half of Americans polled say
they don't want their states to recognize Massachusetts gay marriages,
reflecting a continuing uneasiness or outright opposition to same-sex marriage
that is especially strong in the South and in states that backed George
W. Bush in 2004, according to a nationwide survey conducted for the [Boston]
Globe." ... "Nearly a year after same-sex couples were legally allowed
to marry in Massachusetts, 50 percent of respondents said they opposed
recognizing same-sex marriages from Massachusetts ''as legal in all 50
states," and 46 percent favored it. The respondents also said they disapproved
of ''gay and lesbian couples being allowed to get married" by 50 percent
to 37 percent." ... "Forty-six percent of respondents backed civil unions
that would give gay couples ''some, but not all, of the legal rights of
married couples" while 41 percent said they were opposed. Vermont and Connecticut
have legalized civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, but Massachusetts
remains the only state that has legalized same-sex marriage." (1, 2)
-By Scott S. Greenberger
-Boston/Globe
- 
- ELECTION
2004 - "Braun
to Quit Presidential Bid, Back Dean: Ex-Illinois
Sen. Carol Moseley Braun to Drop Democratic Presidential Bid, Endorse Howard
Dean." ... "Carol Moseley Braun plans to end her White House bid Thursday,
leaving an all-male field for the presidency and giving her support to
Democratic front-runner Howard Dean." ... "One of two black candidates
in the campaign, Braun is giving Dean her endorsement even as h
