William Fisher

As a congressional committee heard testimony last week that billions of Iraqi dollars – held in trust by the U.S. government – still cannot be accounted for, the inspector general charged with tracking the funds said he has referred three contractors to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecutions for fraud. Stuart W. Bowen Jr., … Continue reading “Report: ‘Appalling Fraud and Greed’ in Iraq Contracts”

The FBI is carrying out "unwarranted investigations for religious or political reasons," according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which charges that "the agency has sunk back into the kind of political monitoring it did in the 1960s and 1970s." The Washington-based advocacy group said a series of FBI inquiries across the country shows … Continue reading “Rights Groups Detail Growing Police State”

As Amnesty International urged the George W. Bush administration to "close Guantánamo and disclose the situation in the USA’s shadowy network of detention centers around the globe," a subsidiary of Halliburton, the oil services group once led by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, won a $30 million contract to help build a new permanent prison … Continue reading “US Moral Authority in ‘Free Fall,’ Senators Warn”

In its first attempt to develop laws governing the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay and other U.S. military prisons, Congress Wednesday began to travel the tortuous road between the argument that "enemy combatants" have no rights, and rising concerns that endless detention is unethical and creates a powerful recruiting tool for terrorists. Senate Judiciary … Continue reading “Sen. Specter: End ‘Crazy Quilt’ Detention System”

If enthusiastic White House and Congressional support could solve Washington’s public diplomacy problems, Dina Habib Powell would be well on her way to becoming a national heroine. The Egyptian-born Powell, currently the top personnel official at the White House, is about to be confirmed as Pres. George W. Bush’s choice to be assistant secretary of … Continue reading “White House Seeks Softer, Gentler Liaison to Arab World”

On the heels of the dustup over the nomination of John Bolton to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, President George W. Bush’s next congressional tsunami may well be a provision tucked away in a proposed anti-terrorist bill. That legislation would establish an independent 9/11-type commission to investigate U.S. abuse of prisoners throughout … Continue reading “9/11 Commission for Prisoner Abuse?”

The U.S. government is engaging in political intimidation and improperly investigating law-abiding advocacy groups, civil liberties groups have charged – even as the U.S. Senate weighs renewing controversial counter-terrorism powers and the White House seeks to have them expanded. The government’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces, composed of federal and local law enforcement agencies and scattered … Continue reading “Govt Sued Over ‘Political Abuses’ as it Seeks Expanded Security Powers”

Expanded powers and a heightened sense of alert have helped U.S. law enforcers take some dangerous people off the country’s streets since the White House declared its "war on terror." But they also have triggered some bizarre missteps. Take the case of the two 16-year-old Muslim girls arrested in New York and detained in Pennsylvania … Continue reading “Security Missteps Spawn Quirky Cases”

U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials say government steps have made it more difficult for terrorists to operate in the United States – even as leaders of an investigative panel assail Washington for moving too slowly to protect the nation and the Department of Homeland Security itself reveals it will scrap billions of dollars worth … Continue reading “Conflicting Security Assessments Breed Suspicion of Govt Claims”

The U.S. Senate’s foreign relations committee, in a surprise move driven by a key Republican, voted Thursday to send the embattled nomination of John Bolton as U.S. ambassador at the United Nations to the full Senate without a recommendation – a rebuff to President George W. Bush. Republican Senator George Voinovich agreed to allow Bolton’s … Continue reading “Senate Committee Rebuffs Bush’s Pick for UN Envoy”