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White House
Stimulus Plan Will Be Focus Of Capital Attention
Although President Bush will command the spotlight Monday night as he delivers his last State of the Union address, the capital's focus this week will stay on the carefully negotiated economic stimulus package. CongressDaily, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal report that after a hard-fought deal between the White House and House Democratic and GOP leaders on a $147 billion plan, the two parties hope this week to resolve the details and possibly take the package to the House floor. The measure negotiated in the House might not be the final word. Last week, Senate Democrats promised to exert their constitutional responsibilities and play a role in the package's development. In other news, the Post reports on how the local economy in the District of Columbia, as well as its technology sector, has peformed recently.
Trade
Bush To Push U.S.-Colombia Trade Deal To Congress
President Bush on Monday will ask critical lawmakers not to reject free trade when he urges passage of an agreement with Colombia, The Wall Street Journal reports. Winning passage of that proposed pact, and also pending deals with Panama and South Korea, is a priority for Bush. Colombia is among the United States' closest allies in a region full of anti-American sentiment. In his State of the Union speech Monday, Bush is expected to portray Colombia, known for its history of narcotics trafficking and violence, as a strategic partner worthy of closer economic ties. The address is a chance for Bush to confront the increasing fear among lawmakers and voters that free trade isn't working out for American workers and companies. One official said the president will talk about the "importance of trade to the U.S. economy and the importance of opposing the forces of protectionism and isolationism."
Telecom
FCC Tries To Overhaul Rural Phone-Subsidy Program
The FCC on Monday is expected to open for public comment proposals to revamp the universal service fund, which subsidizes telephone services for low-income and rural customers. The Wall Street Journal reports that regulators are trying to curb costs and prevent consumers from paying more in fees. They also will debate whether money should be reserved to subsidize high-speed Internet lines. In other news, Multichannel News and Reuters report that after the first two days of the FCC's auction of spectrum licenses last week, the 214 registered bidders had offered a combined $3.7 billion, but there were no new suitors for a public-safety block. Reuters also reports that FCC Chief Kevin Martin is pushing his agency to quickly OK plans by AT&T to wireless airwaves from Aloha Partners, while Multichannel News reports that Comcast has responded to the FCC's probe of its broadband practices.
Cyber Security
Bush To Propose $6 Billion Cyber-Security System
The budget plan to be unveiled by President Bush in a week will include a $6 billion system aimed at protecting U.S. communication networks from attacks by terrorists, spies and hackers, The Wall Street Journal reports. Officials and lawmakers say the United States isn't prepared for cyber terrorists hacking into a nuclear-power plant or paralyzing Wall Street. Democrats are frustrated by what they see as the White House's refusal to provide details of the program, and there are civil-liberties concerns because protecting private computer systems likely would require the government to install sensors on company networks. In other news, BBC reports that a 20-year-old ethnic Russian man has been convicted for his part in a 2007 "cyber war" against Estonia, while AP reports that a French bank said a trader who bet $73.5 billion on European markets hacked computers to cover his tracks. And USA Today looks at how cyber crooks are becoming more sophisticated.
Cyber Security
Directive Grants Power To Monitor Federal Networks
President Bush this month signed a directive that expands the role of the U.S. intelligence community in monitoring Internet traffic to protect against terrorist attacks on federal computer systems. The Washington Post reports that the directive authorizes the National Security Agency to watch the computer networks used by all federal agencies. The content of the directive is classified. Some lawmakers already are worried about the new powers. "Agencies designed to gather intelligence on foreign entities should not be in charge of monitoring our computer systems here at home," said House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. In other news, the Post and The Politico report that Bush is threatening to veto pending legislation to extend an expiring anti-terrorism surveillance law.
Security
Homeland Security To Boost Staff At 'Fusion Centers'
Homeland Security Department agents are critical to the success of the "fusion centers" the department is setting up nationwide to coordinate with local law enforcement and public health workers, a top official told the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Friday. GovExec.com reports on how there are currently 22 agents assigned to 20 fusion centers, but the department expects to add 13 more this year. The agency plans to include agents from component agencies to meet the specific needs of different areas. In other news, The Washington Times reports on how the department will begin requiring proof of citizenship and identity for people entering the United States at its land ports of entry beginning Thursday. And GovExec.com explains how the cost of the Iraq war has ballooned, in part because of the dearth of trained acquisition professionals there and the failure of federal agencies to establish a uniform set of procurement guidelines.
Intelligence
Disabled Spy Satellite Poses Threat To Earth
A large U.S. spy satellite has lost power and could hit Earth in late February or early March, government officials said Saturday. AP reports that the satellite, which no longer can be controlled, could contain hazardous materials, and it is unknown where it might fall, they said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is classified as secret. It was not clear how long ago the satellite lost power, or under what circumstances. "Appropriate government agencies are monitoring the situation," said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council. "Numerous satellites over the years have come out of orbit and fallen harmlessly. We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause." He would not comment on whether it is possible for the satellite to perhaps be shot down by a missile.
E-Government
Firms Will Help Untangle Federal Wireless Bills
Three Northern Virginia firms have been tapped to help the government to sort through its wireless service plans and resolve billing errors, The Washington Post reports. The General Services Administration awarded the contracts to Booz Allen Hamilton, iSYS and Avalon Technology. Through the program, which will cost $93 million, the companies will advise the government on picking the best service plans and conducting inventories of their mobile devices in an effort to cut wireless bills by 25 percent. In other news, USA Today reports that AT&T and Verizon Communications are increasing their rates for key services by as much as 300 percent and continue to offer bundled packages, even as they push for deregulation of the industry. USA Today also reports that Vonage executive Jeffrey Citron is optimistic about the Internet telephone carrier's future.
E-Government
White House Uses Collaboration To Target Earmarks
The White House's budget chiefs recently used collaborative software tools known as wikis to share information and ideas about how Congress could cut the number of earmarks for lawmakers' pet projects. The Washington Post reports that officials at the Office of Management and Budget, as well as at other federal agencies, have increasingly been using wikis, online information systems that anyone with access can edit. The special budget wiki was used to compile a database of close to 13,500 earmarks in 10 weeks. Karen Evans, who oversees technology policy at OMB, said wikis have helped create a system "where everybody gets a say" and top officials can use the information to which they have access to make informed decisions.
E-Government
Calif. Officials Rush To Replace E-Voting Machines
County officials in California are scrambling to replace decertified e-voting machines with printed ballots and optical scanners as the state's presidential primary approaches Feb. 5. The Los Angeles Times reports that California Secretary of State Debra Bowen last year decertified a majority of electronic machines, saying they were defective and vulnerable to tampering. "People just don't trust them," Bowen said about e-voting machines. Twenty-one counties are putting thousands of machines into storage as they acquire new optical scanners and activate optical scanners intended for counting absentee ballots. GovExec.com, meanwhile, reports that a statistically significant portion of voters may accidentally vote for the wrong candidate on e-voting machines because they find the displays confusing, according to results of a study by three universities. The report found that 3 percent of people voting electronically erred in their candidate picks.
Crime
Woman Sought Hit Man On Craigslist, Police Say
A woman advertised on the popular Internet classifies site Craigslist for an assassin to kill the wife of a man with whom she had an affair, authorities said Saturday. AP reports that the ad by Ann Marie Linscott, 49, was posted in November as a generic request for somebody to perform a "freelance" job, court documents said. Her true intention was only communicated to those who e-mailed her seeking additional information about the job, the Craigslist CEO said. Linscott offered $5,000 for the hit, had the name and work address of the woman she wanted dead, and described successful candidates as "silent assassins," according to agents and court documents. "I've seen some screwy things, but I've personally never heard of anything like this," said Drew Parenti, special agent in charge of the Sacramento FBI office. "For a person to advertise openly for a hit man on Craigslist."
Campaigns
Obama Aides Are Probing E-Mails That Smear Him
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has been fighting for more than a year to address a viral e-mail that has been spreading fraudulent information about the senator from Illinois. The Politico reports that some of the Obama campaign's first hires were researchers who were immediately assigned to investigate the anonymous e-mails, which falsely claim that Obama is a Muslim, among other things. Obama has directly addressed some of the rumors spread by the e-mails. Campaign aides said the mystery behind the messages has been difficult to solve, but they do not believe that rival Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has had anything to do with them. "I don't have any suspicion that it's the Clintons or their allies," Obama Deputy Campaign Manager Steve Hildebrand said.
Civil Liberties
Game Developer Continues Fight In United Kingdom
The videogame developer Rockstar Games, which created "Manhunt 2," failed in its latest attempt to release the game in the United Kingdom after a high court judge ruled that the title must be re-evaluated by an appeals committee. BBC reports that Rockstar argued that public money should not be spent to repeat a certification process it had already passed. The game, which follows two survivors of a secret experiment that must fight their way out of an asylum, was first banned in June 2007. A British court in December 2007 allowed censors to fight a decision by the Video Appeals Committee, which said the game could be classified and released. The British Board of Film Classification successfully argued that the game had been approved on a misinterpretation of the law. The appeals committee now must re-evaluate the game under new guidelines.
Privacy
Firms Say Most Text Messages Saved Only Briefly
Millions of fingers scurrying over mobile electronic devices probably paused this week as news emerged of a trove of text messages containing flirty and sexually explicit chat between Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and a top aide. AP reports that even those engaging in more wholesome dialogue would be wise to wonder: Do text messages disappear, like oral conversations, or are they permanently logged somewhere for potential retrieval -- like e-mail usually is? For standard consumer text-messaging technology, the answer is largely that they disappear. But the devices of Kilpatrick and Chief of Staff Christine Beatty employed less-fleeting technology. "I think people can feel comfortable we're not storing information that can later be used against them," a Verizon Wireless spokeswoman said. "Unless you have something stored on your phone or on a recipients' phone, it does not stay on our network for a long period." In other news, USA Today reports on privacy concerns surrounding tracking chips.
Culture
New Online Magazine Will Focus On Black Issues
The company behind The Washington Post on Monday plans to launch an online magazine focusing on black issues in the United States. The Washington Post reports that "The Root" will feature news and opinion pieces on issues of interest to blacks. Founder Henry Louis Gates, a professor at Harvard University, said the publication will be a Slate for black readers, referring to the popular online news magazine. In other news, The Wall Street Journal reports that champion cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong is planning to launch a health-and-wellness Web site.
E-Commerce
Ad Companies Turn To Web For Super Bowl Exposure
Marketing companies are looking at everything from Web video to social-networking site profiles as they explore new ways to bring their advertisements online for Sunday's football Super Bowl, The Wall Street Journal reports. Since some companies pay as much as $2.7 million for 30 seconds of ad time during the game, they're trying to make the investment go further, and those firms that don't have a TV presence are turning to the Web to promote their products. Dozens of advertisers are bidding on search terms related to the Super Bowl through the Google search engine. In other news, The New York Times reports on how students in New York are being taught via handheld clickers that allow a more interactive approach to learning. The technology has been used for everything from surveying game-show audiences to polling registered voters and is now spreading to public and private schools.
Intellectual Property
Labels Raise Doubts About New Web Music Service
A revamped online file-sharing service that promised to offer unlimited, free music downloads from all the major recording labels hit a snag Sunday after one label denied it had given the service permission. AP and the Los Angeles Times, report that Qtrax said Sunday it was the first Internet file-swapping service to be "fully embraced by the music industry." But Warner Music undermined that claim, declaring in a statement that it has not authorized the use of its tunes. Universal Music Group and EMI Group later confirmed they did not have licensing deals in place with Qtrax. The Times of London and Agence France-Presse also report on Qtrax. In other news, AP and The Wall Street Journal report that Sony Ericsson has signed deals with 10 music labels to add content to its mobile music-downloading service. And AP reports on Internet video startups.
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