Transparency News 5/12/15
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
State and Local Stories
A defendant obtained a list of jurors and their private information, triggering motions for a mistrial in the case of six people accused of gang ties in the killing of Waynesboro reserve police Capt. Kevin Wayne Quick. An FBI agent advised the federal court in Charlottesville that at least two copies of the list of 134 prospective and impaneled jurors are “out in the general population.”An unidentified defendant had the list in jail for a minimum of 15 hours and contacted at least one relative after gaining possession of the document. The list includes the jurors’ names, addresses and dates of birth and cites the final four digits of their Social Security numbers as well as their spouses’ occupations.
Daily Progress
Madge Wilson, a longtime Newport News reporter who covered politics when both politics and newsrooms were even more male-dominated than they are today, died May 4. Wilson spent 26 years as a political reporter and opinion editor for the Times-Herald, the Daily Press' now-defunct afternoon newspaper. Wilson was one of the first women journalists to cover the Virginia General Assembly. But in Wilson's days, the 1960s and 1970s, the number was even lower – especially covering politics.
Daily Press
Pittsylvania County’s legal bill in the board of supervisors’ prayer case continues to grow. A federal magistrate judge has awarded county resident Barbara Hudson an additional $21,000 in attorney fees and expenses in her case against the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors. Hudson sued the county over the longstanding tradition of individual supervisors leading sectarian Christian prayer before board meetings. If Hudson and the American Civil Liberties Union eventually prevail, county taxpayers could end up owing nearly $75,000 in legal fees accumulated over the nearly 4-year-old case.
Register & Bee
An unethical, quid pro quo relationship between legislators and their donors is hard to prove and, experts say, unlikely for the vast majority of lawmakers. But some say the money flowing into the war chests of politicians affects their psyche, not their floor votes. Every year in Virginia, hundreds of millions of dollars are donated to politicians running for local, state or federal offices. Everyone agrees that candidates need money to get their name out and win the election, but opinions differ on the lasting effect a check in the pocket of a politician can have. “If you’re not successful with fundraising, it’s a fact that you’re likely not to be successful with your campaign,” said Del. Ed Scott (R-Madison). Virginia does not put any limit on the amount of money an individual or business can donate to a politician. The system relies on disclosure of campaign donations and gifts to prevent unethical relationships from forming.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
A former CIA officer was sentenced on Monday to 42 months in prison for leaking classified information to a New York Times reporter about a failed U.S. effort to undermine Iran's nuclear weapons program, the Justice Department said. Jeffrey Sterling, 47, was convicted of disclosing national defense information and obstructing justice in January in federal court in Virginia. "For his own vindictive purposes, Jeffrey Sterling carelessly disclosed extremely valuable, highly classified information that he had taken an oath to keep secret," said Dana Boente, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Huffington Post
National Stories
After years of preparation, the executive branch is poised to adopt a government-wide system for designating and safeguarding unclassified information that is to be withheld from public disclosure. The new system of "controlled unclassified information" (CUI) will replace the dozens of improvised control markings used by various agencies that have created confusion and impeded information sharing inside and outside of government. A proposed rule on CUI was published for public comment on May 8 in the Federal Register. While CUI is by definition unclassified, it is nevertheless understood to require protection against public disclosure on the basis of statute, regulation, or agency policy. In many or most cases, the categories of information that qualify as CUI are non-controversial, and include sensitive information related to law enforcement, nuclear security, grand jury proceedings, and so on.
Secrecy News
Though critics worry about an increasing focus on metrics, some districts have begun recording and analyzing every scrap of information in an effort to improve.
New York Times
Judicial Watch announced that it has filed seven Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits against the State Department in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to obtain the release of documents about the Clinton email scandal, including emails of her top aide Huma Abedin and records about the Benghazi and Clinton Foundation scandals. JW filed one of the lawsuits yesterday and six today. Last week, Judicial Watch also filed a lawsuit for records on Hillary Clinton’s use of an iPad and iPhone. The seven new FOIA lawsuits seek the following:
Judicial Watch
A federal judge has agreed to reopen a lawsuit that seeks to gain access to emails from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private server. Judge Reggie B. Walton’s decision Friday came after the State Department and Judicial Watch, which brought the lawsuit, agreed that the documents that Clinton kept on her own email server separate from the government should be turned over.
Fox News
President Obama will build his future presidential library and museum on Chicago's South Side, the Barack Obama Foundation announced Tuesday. "With a library and foundation on the South Side of Chicago, not only will we be able to encourage and effect change locally, but what we can also do is attract a world to Chicago," Obama said in a video posted to the foundation's web site. Michelle Obama, who grew up on the city's South Side, added, "I am thrilled to be able to put this resource in the heart of a neighborhood that means the world to me." The library will be hosted by the University of Chicago, where both Obamas have deep roots and had long been considered the favorite to win the project. The announcement on Tuesday made it official.
USA Today
Editorials/Columns
Don't be fooled by Virginia lawmakers counting ethics reform among the accomplishments of this year's General Assembly session. The tepid package of rules they passed in February leaves untouched some of the most profound flaws in state law. The one significant feature — the creation of an ethics council — lacks investigatory authority and is all but powerless as a result. That was by design, of course. Some legislative leaders have been fairly open about their contempt for ethics reform. And so they did next to nothing to address the culture of casual corruption that exists in Richmond, which leaves the commonwealth prone to further embarrassment. Virginia expects better from its public officials. This year's "reform" package shows they still aren't listening. But in November, they have to ask for your support, and not just the support of the many special interests that fatten their campaign coffers and throw business opportunities their way.
Daily Press
State and Local Stories
A defendant obtained a list of jurors and their private information, triggering motions for a mistrial in the case of six people accused of gang ties in the killing of Waynesboro reserve police Capt. Kevin Wayne Quick. An FBI agent advised the federal court in Charlottesville that at least two copies of the list of 134 prospective and impaneled jurors are “out in the general population.”An unidentified defendant had the list in jail for a minimum of 15 hours and contacted at least one relative after gaining possession of the document. The list includes the jurors’ names, addresses and dates of birth and cites the final four digits of their Social Security numbers as well as their spouses’ occupations.
Daily Progress
Madge Wilson, a longtime Newport News reporter who covered politics when both politics and newsrooms were even more male-dominated than they are today, died May 4. Wilson spent 26 years as a political reporter and opinion editor for the Times-Herald, the Daily Press' now-defunct afternoon newspaper. Wilson was one of the first women journalists to cover the Virginia General Assembly. But in Wilson's days, the 1960s and 1970s, the number was even lower – especially covering politics.
Daily Press
Pittsylvania County’s legal bill in the board of supervisors’ prayer case continues to grow. A federal magistrate judge has awarded county resident Barbara Hudson an additional $21,000 in attorney fees and expenses in her case against the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors. Hudson sued the county over the longstanding tradition of individual supervisors leading sectarian Christian prayer before board meetings. If Hudson and the American Civil Liberties Union eventually prevail, county taxpayers could end up owing nearly $75,000 in legal fees accumulated over the nearly 4-year-old case.
Register & Bee
An unethical, quid pro quo relationship between legislators and their donors is hard to prove and, experts say, unlikely for the vast majority of lawmakers. But some say the money flowing into the war chests of politicians affects their psyche, not their floor votes. Every year in Virginia, hundreds of millions of dollars are donated to politicians running for local, state or federal offices. Everyone agrees that candidates need money to get their name out and win the election, but opinions differ on the lasting effect a check in the pocket of a politician can have. “If you’re not successful with fundraising, it’s a fact that you’re likely not to be successful with your campaign,” said Del. Ed Scott (R-Madison). Virginia does not put any limit on the amount of money an individual or business can donate to a politician. The system relies on disclosure of campaign donations and gifts to prevent unethical relationships from forming.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
A former CIA officer was sentenced on Monday to 42 months in prison for leaking classified information to a New York Times reporter about a failed U.S. effort to undermine Iran's nuclear weapons program, the Justice Department said. Jeffrey Sterling, 47, was convicted of disclosing national defense information and obstructing justice in January in federal court in Virginia. "For his own vindictive purposes, Jeffrey Sterling carelessly disclosed extremely valuable, highly classified information that he had taken an oath to keep secret," said Dana Boente, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Huffington Post
National Stories
After years of preparation, the executive branch is poised to adopt a government-wide system for designating and safeguarding unclassified information that is to be withheld from public disclosure. The new system of "controlled unclassified information" (CUI) will replace the dozens of improvised control markings used by various agencies that have created confusion and impeded information sharing inside and outside of government. A proposed rule on CUI was published for public comment on May 8 in the Federal Register. While CUI is by definition unclassified, it is nevertheless understood to require protection against public disclosure on the basis of statute, regulation, or agency policy. In many or most cases, the categories of information that qualify as CUI are non-controversial, and include sensitive information related to law enforcement, nuclear security, grand jury proceedings, and so on.
Secrecy News
Though critics worry about an increasing focus on metrics, some districts have begun recording and analyzing every scrap of information in an effort to improve.
New York Times
Judicial Watch announced that it has filed seven Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits against the State Department in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to obtain the release of documents about the Clinton email scandal, including emails of her top aide Huma Abedin and records about the Benghazi and Clinton Foundation scandals. JW filed one of the lawsuits yesterday and six today. Last week, Judicial Watch also filed a lawsuit for records on Hillary Clinton’s use of an iPad and iPhone. The seven new FOIA lawsuits seek the following:
Judicial Watch
A federal judge has agreed to reopen a lawsuit that seeks to gain access to emails from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private server. Judge Reggie B. Walton’s decision Friday came after the State Department and Judicial Watch, which brought the lawsuit, agreed that the documents that Clinton kept on her own email server separate from the government should be turned over.
Fox News
President Obama will build his future presidential library and museum on Chicago's South Side, the Barack Obama Foundation announced Tuesday. "With a library and foundation on the South Side of Chicago, not only will we be able to encourage and effect change locally, but what we can also do is attract a world to Chicago," Obama said in a video posted to the foundation's web site. Michelle Obama, who grew up on the city's South Side, added, "I am thrilled to be able to put this resource in the heart of a neighborhood that means the world to me." The library will be hosted by the University of Chicago, where both Obamas have deep roots and had long been considered the favorite to win the project. The announcement on Tuesday made it official.
USA Today
Editorials/Columns
Don't be fooled by Virginia lawmakers counting ethics reform among the accomplishments of this year's General Assembly session. The tepid package of rules they passed in February leaves untouched some of the most profound flaws in state law. The one significant feature — the creation of an ethics council — lacks investigatory authority and is all but powerless as a result. That was by design, of course. Some legislative leaders have been fairly open about their contempt for ethics reform. And so they did next to nothing to address the culture of casual corruption that exists in Richmond, which leaves the commonwealth prone to further embarrassment. Virginia expects better from its public officials. This year's "reform" package shows they still aren't listening. But in November, they have to ask for your support, and not just the support of the many special interests that fatten their campaign coffers and throw business opportunities their way.
Daily Press
Categories:
