Some of Washington’s top lobbyists say that they expect to find ways around congressional efforts to impose new restrictions on lobbyists’ dealings with lawmakers in the wake of the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal, and that any limits will barely put a dent in the billions of dollars spent to influence legislation. Though Congress may ultimately vote to eliminate a few of the more visible trappings of special pleading, such as gifts, free meals and luxurious trips, lobbyists say they have already found scores of new ways to buy the attention of lawmakers through fundraising, charitable activities and industry-sponsored seminars. An estimated $10 billion is spent annually to influence legislation and regulations, and that spending is not likely to be diminished by the proposed lobbying changes, these lobbyists contend. “I wouldn’t classify those changes as major,” said Dan Danner, executive vice president of the National Federation of Independent Business. “Between charitable events and fundraising events, there will still be lots of ways to get in front of members [of Congress].” Abramoff’s guilty plea in January — to charges of fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials with lavish trips, luxury skybox fundraisers, meals and campaign contributions […]
BEIJING — China’s government has said it is willing to work with the US on future oil, gas and renewable energy projects, as well as on global energy security issues. “In the field of energy, China and the US are not competitors” Qin Gang, foreign ministry spokesperson, said during a press briefing. “China stands ready to co-operate with the US and other countries ¦ on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.” Mr Qin was responding to comments earlier this week by Dick Lugar, the influential US Senator, who said it was crucial for Washington to broaden its energy co-operation with China and India. US energy dependence was “the albatross” of its national security, he said. China’s pursuit of resources around the world, including in countries shunned by the west – such as Iran, Sudan and Burma – has caused friction with the US and anger in Congress. “There is great potential for the two countries and an extensive range of areas for co-operation,” said Mr Qin. “We must have a very active approach.” Mr Qin did not give further details. Mr Lugar, who chairs the Senate foreign relations committee, had suggested the US needed […]
WASHINGTON – A Pentagon intelligence agency that kept files on American anti-war activists hired one of the contractors who bribed former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, R-Calif., to help it collect data on houses of worship, schools, power plants and other locations in the United States. MZM Inc., headed by Mitchell Wade, also received three contracts totaling more than $250,000 to provide unspecified “intelligence services” to the White House, according to documents obtained by Knight Ridder. The White House didn’t respond to an inquiry about what those intelligence services entailed. MZM’s Pentagon and White House deals were part of tens of millions of dollars in federal government business that Wade’s company attracted beginning in 2002. MZM and Wade, who pleaded guilty last month to bribing Cunningham and unnamed Defense Department officials to steer work to his firm, are the focus of ongoing probes by Pentagon and Department of Justice investigators. In February 2003, MZM won a two-month contract worth $503,144.70 to provide technical support to the Pentagon’s Joint Counter-Intelligence Field Activity, or CIFA. The top-secret agency was created five months earlier primarily to protect U.S. defense personnel and facilities from foreign terrorists. The job involved advising […]
Twenty years on from the world’s worst environmental catastrophe, John Woodcock revisits the still-poisonous landscapes of Ukraine and Belarus. But as Britain debates whether to build a new generation of nuclear power stations, are we forgetting the terrifying lessons of 26 April 1986? Tourism does not come more chilling than in the visitor centre at the remains of the Chernobyl nuclear power station. The view from the window is hypnotic in its awfulness. It overlooks what appears to be an unremarkable industrial complex, dominated by a red-and-white striped chimney stack wrapped in a steel frame. Pop music blaring from a radio somewhere within the site adds to a sense of normality that is misleading, shockingly so. The surrealism of disco sounds in such a place is reinforced by the centre’s ominous exhibits. They are dominated by a large model of what cannot be seen from the window. It represents the inside of the wrecked Reactor No 4. Tiny figures in white protective suits are placed among the mock debris, replicating those who today, only a few hundred yards away, perform the most dangerous tasks imaginable. Beside the display, a video relates what happened at the plant 20 […]
One thing is certain about the Iraq war: It has cost a lot more than advertised. In fact, the tab grows by at least $200 million each and every day. In the months leading up to the launch of the war three years ago, few Bush administration officials were willing to comment publicly on the potential costs to the United States. After all, no cost would have been too high if the United States faced an imminent threat from an Iraq armed with weapons of mass destruction, the war’s stated justification. In fact, the economic ramifications are rarely included in the debate over whether to go to war, although some economists argue it is quite possible and useful to assess potential costs and benefits. In any event, most estimates put forward by White House officials in 2002 and 2003 were relatively low compared with the nation’s gross domestic product, the size of the federal budget or the cost of past wars. White House economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey was the exception to the rule, offering an “upper bound” estimate of $100 billion to $200 billion in a September 2002 interview with The Wall Street Journal. That figure […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
