New York Times

Spy Agencies Failed to Collate Clues on Terror – Mark Mazzetti and Eric Lipton report that the National Security Agency intercepted the plot that echoed Friday’s attempted bombing, but failed to use this information to prevent the attack.

Full-Body Scans to Be Used for Flights From Amsterdam to U.S. – Jack Healy and Marlise Simons look into how the Dutch airport involved in Friday’s attempted bombing will now use full-body scanning technology for flights to the United States.

Shadow of 9/11 Is Cast Again – Scott Shane investigates how the National Counterterrorism Center is taking some of the blame for not thwarting the attempted airline bombing.

Airlines Struggle Anew With Flier Frustrations – Micheline Maynard reports that several major airlines are in talks with the Transportation Security Administration concerning ways to maintain high security while also keeping air passengers’ comfort in mind.

Jet Plot Shows Growing Ability of Qaeda Affiliates – Eric Schmitt investigates claims from both the government and independent counterterrorism specialists that Friday’s attempted attack signals Al Qaeda’s ability to attack the United States directly.

Army History Finds Early Missteps in Afghanistan – James Dao looks into a new as-yet-unpublished military history that investigates American strategy in Afghanistan.

Company’s Record on Beef Treatment Questioned – Michael Moss brings the story of company Beef Products and their USDA-approved, not-so-effective ammonia treatment, desiged to prevent beef contamination.

Washington Post

U.S. takes majority stake in GMAC, giving lender $3.8 billion more in aid – Binyamin Appelbaum reports that the Treasury Department will increase monetary aid for auto lender GMAC.

Obama to get report on intelligence failures in Abdulmutallab case – Karen DeYoung brings the story of how President Obama will receive a report Thursday outlining where intelligence failed in Friday’s attempted airplane bombing.

Suicide bomber attacks CIA base in Afghanistan, killing at least 8 Americans – Joby Warrick investigates the attack on the CIA base in Afghanistan, committed by a suicide bomber.

White House visitors log reflects Obama agenda – Michael D. Shear reports on the newly available public records of White House visitors, which offer a window into the efforts of President Obama to use the White House to bring groups of people together.

Wall Street Journal

Chinese Slapped in Steel Dispute – Kris Maher and Henry J. Pulizzi report that the U.S. International Trade Commission decided that the U.S. steel industry had been damaged by imported Chinese steel.

U.S. Probes Cleric’s Tie to Jetliner Bomb Plot – Evan Perez, Margaret Coker, and Siobhan Gorman investigate how the U.S. is investigating the potential involvement of Anwar al-Awlaki with the attempted airplane bombing.

Meaures After 9/11 Draw New Scrutiny – Siobhan Gorman looks into how post-9/11 intelligence is being criticized again.

Rules to Clarify Cost of Mortgages – James R. Hagerty investigates new federal rules that should help clarify mortgage costs.

CIA Officers Are Killed in Afghan Attack – Anand Gopal reports that 8 Americans were killed in a suicide bombing attack in Afghanistan.

Napolitano Becomes GOP Political Target – Cam Simpson looks into how Republicans looking for a political advantage are now looking to blame Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano an how she handled the situation publicly.

Lawmakers Want Probe Into Treasury Aid for Fannie, Freddie – Michael R. Crittenden reports that Congress is ordering an investigation of the sudden aid that the Treasury Department provided to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on Christmas Eve.

– compiled by Alison Baitz

The Washington Post’s Binyamin Applebaum reports on the Treasury Department’s increased investment in auto financier GMAC: Treasury added $3.8 billion to the $12.5 billion in aid they’ve already provided GMAC. In turn, the federal government now owns a majority stake, 56 percent, of the company.

Appelbaum gives the scorecard of what financial firms still get money from Treasury’s Troubled Asset Relief Program: (more…)

Apropos of my piece yesterday on state budget crises, the Wall Street Journal’s Stu Woo reports that California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will ask the Obama administration and Congress for billions in aid. This aid will come in the form of California not having to provide matching funds for programs like Medicaid — Washington would apparently cover the entire bill for the year.

Schwarzenegger and the California state legislature are largely responsible for the state’s fiscal mess. But I think the governor’s arguments on why California uniquely deserves aid are basically right: California’s huge tax base helps subsidize all kinds of federal programs that may never benefit California residents. And a collapse of California’s economy could seriously hamper a national recovery.

New York Times

US Had Early Signals of a Terror Plot, Obama Says – Peter Baker and Carl Hulse report on President Obama’s statement regarding the failed airline security system and how Friday’s bombing attempt could have been prevented.

Debate Over Full-Body Scans vs. Invasion of Privacy Flares Anew After Incident – John Schwartz points out that the debate over the use of full-body scanners at airports is still raging.

Red River Flooding Solution Is a Problem to Some – Monica Davey brings the story of the Red River, shared by North Dakota and Minnesota, and of it’s flood waters and contested flood solutions.

Obama Curbs Secrecy of Classified Documents – Charlie Savage reports that President Obama has declared that ‘no information may remain classifed indefinitely,’ in an attempt at executive branch reform.

Anthrax Case Linked to Drumming Circle, New Hampshire Officials Say – Abby Goodnough brings the story of the U.S.’s first case of gastrointestinal anthrax and how it may have been contracted during a community drum circle.

Billions to Fight Foreclosure, but Few New Loans – Michael Powell looks into how citizens are affected by the Obama administration’s promise to prevent foreclosure.

F.D.A. to Seek New Standards on Human Test Data – Barry Meier reports that the FDA is working on new guidelines to set more strict scientific standards for data from tests on humans, which makers submit for approval from the agency.

Washington Post

As standoff with Iran continues, U.S. prepares targeted sanctions – Glenn Kessler looks into how the Obama administration is preparing to respond to those believed to be related to Friday’s attempted bombing.

Obama vows to repair intelligence gaps behind Detroit airplane incident – Carrie Johnson, Karen DeYoung, and Anne E. Kornblut report on President Obama’s intentions to “quicky fix” whatever security problems allowed Friday’s attempted bombing to almost occur.

Failed attack on jet renews concerns over lack of TSA chief – Michael D. Sheer points out that Friday’s attempted bombing brought much attention to the fact that TSA is currently without a leader.

EPA threatens states for failing to clean up Chesapeake Bay – David A. Fahrenthold reports that the EPA is increasing its efforts to force a clean-up of the Chesapeake Bay.

Many airport security improvements would require more intrusion, oversight – Robert O’Harrow Jr and Spencer S. Hsu point out that privacy might be in question as air travel security measures increase.

As defense agencies hire, other government workers get incentives to retire – Ed O’Keefe brings the story of shifting government hiring.

E. coli-tainted beef infects 21 people in 16 states – Lyndsey Layton reports on the latest E. Coli outbrake.

Former Guantanamo detainees fuel growing al-Qaeda cell – Sudarsan Raghavan looks into how certain detainees are increasing the assertiveness of the al-Qaeda branch that has claimed responsibility for Friday’s attempted bombing.

Public Warehousing in talks with U.S. to settle fraud case – Walter Pincus points out that the firm that was indicted last month for allegedly overcharging the Army on a multibillion-dollar contract is negotiating with the Justice Department for a settlement.

Wall Street Journal

Obama Slams Security Breach – Evan Perez, Jay Solomon, and Siobhan Gorman report that President Obama said that Friday’s attempted bombing and maor security breach could have been prevented.

State, Local Tax Revenues Decline 7% – Conor Dougherty looks into how the recession is affecting the collection of taxes.

Ruling Due on Steelmakers’ Claims Against China – Robert Guy Matthews reports that the US International Trade Commision is set to rule on US steelmakers’ claims of injury due to imported Chinese steel.

Journals Criticize FDA Trials – Jared A. Favole and Alicia Mundy point out that the FDA’s approval methods concerning cardiovascular medical devices have been criticized in two leading medical journals.

Retirees Snared by Medicare – Anne Tergesen looks into the intricacies of Medicare for seniors.

Taiwan Reinstates Ban on Some American Beef – Reuters reports that Taiwan will limit the beef imported from the US, going back on a previous agreement signed by both Taiwan and the US.

– compiled by Alison Baitz

The Wall Street Journal’s Conor Daugherty reports that state and local revenues were down seven percent in the third quarter of 2009 from a year ago — and the third quarter of 2008 was not exactly the salad days of local revenue collection. The culprit is less money from income taxes and sales taxes. The result is that states must increase tax rates and spend less at a time when the federal government is cutting taxes and spending more. The Obama administration and Congress leavened this huge federal-local disconnect by handing states fiscal stabilization money from the stimulus bill. However, the administration has not responded to the crisis in local governance with the comprehensive aid package that they provided to, say, financial firms in peril. (more…)

Good news: The Chicago Tribune’s Annie Sweeney reports that homicides were down 11 percent this year in Chicago from 511 in 2008 to 453 in 2009. This is important, because the murders that have happened receive a great deal of local and even national media attention, causing the false perception that violence in Chicago is out of control (this was most clearly illustrated in the videotaped murder of high school student Derrion Albert).

At the same time, what does this statistic mean? It is hard to make a direct correlation between local law enforcement and city government policies and fewer murders. Sweeney provides some analysis:

City gang teams were reorganized, and they were given a new mission: more search warrants and fewer street-corner drug investigations. They were also told to ramp up their use of informants so they could make more informed arrests.

In the districts, commanders and community members say they’ve been working — from tracking gang anniversary dates to dog-walking — to make a difference on the blocks where they police and live.

Still, because Chicago’s homicide total brings the city in line with declines experienced here and nationally throughout much of the decade, some suggest the more compelling question could be what happened in 2008.

“(Last year) was the anomaly,” said James Alan Fox, a professor of criminal justice at Northeastern University in Boston. “This year is part of the pattern.”

The most compelling national question, though, is why homicides have declined so much this decade. A decade where so much went wrong with the economy and national security has also featured the silver lining of plummeting of murder rates.

Another in Understanding Government’s “Public Service Announcement” series profiling the careers and challenges of notable government employees

By Norman Kelley

Quick! What agency of the federal government, other than the Defense Dept., has over 200,000 vehicles and is a major consumer of energy resources? Still don’t have a clue? Hint: it helped you enjoy your holiday by delivering cards and gifts during the past few weeks, and has been considered the most trusted government agency in an age of anti-government suspicion.

Yes, it is the United States Postal Service (USPS), one of the earliest public agencies established by the government, and one of the very few to be explicitly authorized by the U.S. Constitution. Unlike most government agencies, it does not derive its budget from taxation and has been financially self-sufficient since the 1970s, when it was reorganized from the Post Office Department, a cabinet-level agency, into the United States Postal service, one of the sixty-five independent agencies or corporations and the only agency to survive solely on its own revenues.

With 656,000 workers, the USPS is the second-largest U.S. civilian employer after Wal-Mart. It has a large fleet of vehicles – over 200,000 – consuming an estimated fuel budget of $2.4 billion.

Carolyn Cole

An agency with this much property faces heavy costs for energy.  Helping to make sure that the USPS reduces its energy consumption, along with its carbon footprint, is Carolyn C. Cole, manager of the Postal Service’s Energy Initiatives group. A Washingtonian born and bred, Cole, who reports to Sam Pulcrano, the USPS’s vice president for sustainability, defines her job as “validating and quantifying” her agency’s energy consumption.

“You can’t measure what you can’t manage,” she told Understanding Government. “I develop strategies to reduce our energy consumption.” (more…)

NPR’s Scott Horsley touches on an essential aspect of the terrorist threat which government officials seem to forget about — as soon as they stop being regular folks and become government officials.  The traveling public wants to know the truth about risks and problems they face.  Horsley reports:

Risk communication expert Baruch Fischhoff thinks the administration may have worried too much about calming travelers’ nerves. Fischhoff, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, said what people want from their government at a time like this is competence and honesty.

“They don’t want to be reassured or to be worked or to be spun. They want to know the facts so that they can make their decisions,” he said. “Often officials have insufficient faith in the public. They think the public can’t be trusted to handle the truth and make responsible decisions.”

The initial government instinct is to assume that more information means more of a problem for them.  Which it does.  Once you issue a statement, you have to answer questions.  And you have to answer for your actions. (more…)

Spencer S. Hsu and Robert O’Harrow provide an uncharacteristically confident intro paragraph for a Washington Post story in their piece about airport security:

Aviation security could be improved with the use of databases containing passengers’ personal information, technology such as body scans and better information-sharing. But the changes would require greater tolerance of intrusions and far more effective government oversight, security specialists say.

So the assertion is that our airports and airplanes could be safer — it’s just a question of whether it’s worth the money and curtailment of privacy. (more…)

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