German Intelligence Officials Weigh-In on WMD Documents

LA Times: “The German intelligence officials responsible for one of the most important informants on Saddam Hussein’s suspected weapons of mass destruction say that the Bush administration and the CIA repeatedly exaggerated his claims during the run-up to the war in Iraq.” Related reference: Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons …

Subjects: Government Documents

Murtha Elaborates on His Iraq War Position

Transcript for November 20, Meet the Press: John Murtha, Anthony Fauci, Julie Gerberding, Michael Leavitt and Michael Ryan. Rep. John Murtha: “Well, I tell you, Cheney’s a friend of mine. We work very closely together. He was a good secretary of Defense, but he’s wrong. They should have fired people. The president should be furious …

Subjects: Government Documents

Debate Between Publishers, Authors and Google Over Book Search Program

New York Times: Googling Literature: The Debate Goes Public Related references: Google, Authors, Publishers, and Library Officials in Discussion at The New York Public Library: Panel with Library President Paul LeClerc, Google VP David Drummond, legal scholar Lawrence Lessig, Wired editor Chris Anderson, and others on Thursday, November 17. Postings on Google Print and Google …

Subjects: E-Commerce, Libraries, Search Engines

Opposition to Patriot Act Reauthorization Stalls Vote

Yesterday: Patriot Act Reauthorization Encounters Strong Opposition; today news on a deadlock which will delay a vote until December. Preventing passage of any meaningful reforms to this legislation may indeed prove to be a bigger obstacle than anticipated. The work of organizations including the American Library Association, EFF, EPIC, CDT and the ACLU is in …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Legislation, Privacy

Fitzgerald Files for a New Grand Jury

The investigation into the Plame leak will, despite the prognostications of a range of commentators, in fact move forward and expand, according to today’s news that Special Counsel Fitzgerald has requested a new grand jury. According to the court filing, “…The investigation will involve proceedings before a different grand jury than the grand jury which …

Subjects: Courts, Government Documents, Legal Research

Redesigned THOMAS Launched Today

Sharing navigation and design similarities with the Library of Congress site as well as the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration site, today’s launch of the upgraded THOMAS Congressional information site offers citizens, educators and researchers additional browse and search features (including the ability to Search Multiple Congresses, from the 101 to the 109; links …

Subjects: Congress, Legal Research, Legislation, Libraries

Patriot Act Reauthorization Encounters Strong Opposition

Following up on reports of civil liberties protections having been stripped from the draft Patriot Act reauthorization and information that the bill contains “poison pill measures,” news today that a bipartisan group of Senators (including Feingold and Sununu) is attempting to block passage of bill by the full Senate. Their statement is here.

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Libraries, Patriot Act, Privacy