U.S. Tests Response To Set of Calamities
Executive Branch ‘Runs’ Government From Outside D.C. as Mock Crises Mount

U.S. deploys more than 43,000 unfit for combat
WASHINGTON — More than 43,000 U.S. troops listed as medically unfit for combat in the weeks before their scheduled deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003 were sent anyway, Pentagon records show. This reliance on troops found medically “non-deployable” is another sign of stress placed on a military that has sent 1.6 million servicemembers to the war zones, soldier advocacy groups say.

Drama fills Guantanamo war court but sound remains off
The Pentagon took its new $12 million war court complex out for a test run Wednesday with the arraignment of an alleged al Qaeda propagandist — and the state-of-the-art facility failed.

Federal Agents Raid Office and Home of U.S. Special Counsel Scott Bloch (by Jonathan Turley)
Federal agents raided the office and home of U.S. Special Counsel Scott Bloch on Tuesday as they investigate whether he destroyed evidence that he retaliated against his own staff. It is a considerable reversal of fortunes for the man who investigates such retaliation against whistle-blowers. It is a scandal that gets more bizarre by the day — even sweeping Geeks on Call into the criminal investigation. At least 20 agents were involved in the raids that seized computers, files and other evidence. Bloch has been a controversial choice for the office from the outset. He was criticized for closing hundreds of whistle-blower cases without investigation. Current and former Office of Special Counsel workers accused him of retaliation in a complaint in 2005 as well as accusing him of discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Bloch defends spending taxpayer money on custom-made hand towels. (Think Progress)
In addition to charges of intimidating whistleblowers, deleting incriminating files, and pursuing investigations for political purposes, embattled Special Counsel Scott Bloch has also been accused of wasting taxpayer money on unnecessary items, including $400 on custom-made hand towels for his bathroom… [Tuesday], FBI agents raided Bloch’s home and office.

FBI seeking records of 2004 Condoleeza Rice ethics probe
WASHINGTON — FBI agents investigating government watchdog Scott Bloch have subpoenaed any records that would reveal whether concerns about the 2004 elections prompted him to clear Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of ethics violations.

Government wiretaps–the ones we know about–up 20% for 2007
The US last week released its 2007 wiretapping stats, and they show that such surveillance is up a full 20 percent over the year before. The number of non-secret wiretaps is higher than it has ever been in the last decade, and not a single application was denied in all of 2007.

FBI Withdraws Unconstitutional National Security Letter After ACLU and EFF Challenge
The FBI has withdrawn an unconstitutional national security letter (NSL) issued to the Internet Archive after a legal challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). As the result of a settlement agreement, the FBI withdrew the NSL and agreed to the unsealing of the case, finally allowing the Archive’s founder to speak out for the first time about his battle against the record demand.

Post office $700 million in the red
WASHINGTON - Declining mail volume and rising fuel prices resulted in a $707 million loss for the Postal Service in the quarter that wrapped up March 31.

Mail carriers collecting food
WASHINGTON - The annual charity food collection by the nation’s letter carriers will be held Saturday.

Congressional action heats up on FISA
Telecom companies have presented congressional Democrats with a set of proposals on how to provide immunity to the businesses that participated in a controversial government electronic surveillance program, a House Democratic aide said Wednesday. Congress has been wrestling for months with an update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, with the immunity issue the primary sticking point.

Bush, Democrats near deal on election commission
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday moved to break the deadlock at the Federal Election Commission, which had been without a ruling majority in a pivotal campaign year.

Senate Democrats criticize EPA for impeding science
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency’s top science adviser on Wednesday defended his boss for allowing more ozone pollution than the EPA’s advisory panels recommended and for holding meetings with White House officials about pollution risks that are kept secret from Congress and the public.

Senate topples wind insurance bid
WASHINGTON — A Gulf Coast-backed effort to add wind coverage to the National Flood Insurance Program was soundly defeated Wednesday in the Senate amid concerns it would be too costly.

GOP senators question quick action on judicial nominee
WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans on Wednesday questioned the speedy confirmation process for Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Helene White, who was chosen by President Bush last month as part of a compromise to address several judicial vacancies.

China’s family planning rules at issue in US asylum cases
WASHINGTON - Partners of Chinese women who were forced to have abortions are pressing the Supreme Court to make it easier to get asylum in the United States.

Michigan Supreme Court rules against benefits for domestic partners. (Think Progress)
Today, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled “that a 2004 ban against gay marriage also blocks governments and state universities from offering health insurance to the partners of gay workers. … Up to 20 public universities, community colleges, school districts and local governments in Michigan have benefits policies covering at least 375 gay couples.”

Setback for immigrant college students in N. Carolina
Public colleges in North Carolina should not admit illegal immigrants as students, the state Attorney General’s Office advised in a letter released Wednesday.

Summit County judge orders Taser references deleted from medical examiner’s rulings
(OH) Summit County Medical Examiner Lisa Kohler must delete any reference that Tasers contributed to the deaths of three men, a Summit County Common Pleas judge ordered Friday. The deaths of Dennis Hyde and Richard Holcomb, who were [allegedly] on drugs… when police shot them with Tasers, should be ruled accidental, visiting Judge Ted Schneiderman wrote in his ruling. Any reference to homicide or “electrical pulse stimulation” should be deleted from death certificates and autopsy reports, he said. The order to change the ruling in the death of the third man, Mark McCullaugh, could be more far-reaching.

New Orleans mayor pushing residents to leave FEMA trailers
NEW ORLEANS - Lingering fears about formaldehyde fumes inside federally issued trailers and the impending hurricane season have Mayor Ray Nagin pushing to empty thousands of the structures, intended as temporary housing after Katrina.