Vision 2015: A Globally Networked and Integrated Intelligence Enterprise
The Director of National Intelligence vision statement for the 21st century.

USFA Releases Residential Structure and Buildings Fires Report
"The Department of Homeland Security's United States Fire Administration (USFA) has issued a report today examining the causes and characteristics of fires occurring in residential structures and buildings. The report, Residential Structure and Building Fires, was developed by the National Fire Data Center, part of USFA.

The report presents an overview of residential structure fires and trends for one-and two-family, multifamily, and other residential structures. This report also addresses residential building fires for each of the three residential occupancy types."

EconomicRecovery.gov
A new resource from the U.S. Department of Commerce designed to help the "American people to find help to keep their homes, find jobs and protect their savings." Provides links to information at the White House, Treasury Department, Commerce Department, Agriculture Department, Labor Department, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Small Business Administration, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

FDA Creates Web Page with Drug Safety Information for Patients, Health Care Professionals
"Consumers and health care professionals can now go to a single page on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Web site to find a wide variety of safety information about prescription drugs. The Web page, http://www.fda.gov/cder/drugSafety.htm, provides links to information in these categories:

* Drug labeling, including patient labeling, professional labeling, and patient package inserts;
* Drugs that have a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) to ensure that their benefits outweigh their risks;
* A searchable database of postmarket studies that are required from, or agreed to by, drug companies to provide the FDA with additional information about a drug's safety, efficacy, or optimal use;
* Clinicaltrials.gov, a searchable database of clinical trials, including information about each trial's purpose, who may participate, locations, and useful phone numbers;
* Drug-specific safety information, including safety sheets with the latest information about the drug as well as related FDA press announcements, fact sheets, and drug safety podcasts;
* Quarterly reports that list certain drugs that are being evaluated for potential safety issues, based on a review of information in the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS);
* Warning Letters, Import Alerts, Recalls, Market Withdrawals, and Safety Alerts;
* Regulations and guidance documents;
* Consumer information about using medications safely and disposing of unused medicines;
* Instructions how to report problems to the FDA through its MedWatch program;
* Consumer articles on drug safety; and
* The FDA's response to the Institute of Medicine's 2006 report on the future of drug safety."

CDC Releases New Infant Mortality Data
"The United States ranked 29th in the world in infant mortality in 2004, compared to 27th in 2000, 23rd in 1990 and 12th in 1960, according to a new report from CDC′s National Center for Health Statistics.

The U.S. infant mortality rate was 6.78 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2004, the latest year that data are available for all countries. Infant mortality rates were generally lowest (below 3.5 per 1,000) in selected Scandinavian (Sweden, Norway, Finland) and East Asian (Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore) countries. Twenty-two countries had infant mortality rates below 5.0 in 2004.

The findings are published in a new Data Brief “Recent Trends in Infant Mortality in the United States.” The data come from the Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set and Preliminary Mortality Data File, collected through the National Vital Statistics System..."

Veterans Day 2008: Nov. 11
"Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation in 1954 to change the name to Veterans Day as a way to honor those who served in all American wars. The day has evolved into also honoring living military veterans with parades and speeches across the nation. A national ceremony takes place at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia."

State Resource Guides (including territories and the nation's capital)
"The State Resource Guides linked from this page compile digital materials that are available throughout the Library's Web site. In addition, each guide provides links to external Web sites and a bibliography containing selected works for both general and younger readers. This site will be updated on a regular basis. The State Digital Resources: Memory Projects, Online Encyclopedias, Historical & Cultural Materials Collections Web Guide provides links to individual state and regional digital projects and collaborations."

New Survey Reveals Steep Drops in Opium Production and Cultivation in Afghanistan
"Today, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) released the results of the 2008 U.S. Government Afghanistan Poppy Cultivation and Opium Production Estimate. After two straight years of record opium production, the estimate has found that potential opium production in Afghanistan has declined steeply—by 31 percent—to 5,500 metric tons, down from 8,000 metric tons in 2007. Additionally, Afghanistan's 2008 opium poppy crop decreased by 22 percent to 157,000 hectares, down from 202,000 hectares in 2007. The 2008 cultivation total is also nearly 10 percent below the 2006 level of 172,600."

FBI Releases 2007 Hate Crime Statistics
"Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released statistics which indicated that 7,624 criminal incidents involving 9,006 offenses were reported in 2007 as a result of bias toward a particular race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity/national origin, or physical or mental disability. Hate Crime Statistics, 2007, published by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, includes data from hate crime reports submitted by law enforcement agencies throughout the nation."

Student Victimization in U.S. Public Schools: Results from the 2005 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey
"This report provides estimates of student victimization as defined by the 2005 School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the 2005 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). NCVS is the nation’s primary source of information on crime victimization and the victims of crime in the United States and the SCS is a supplement to NCVS that was created to collect information about school-related victimization on a national level. This report incorporates findings from student respondents ages 12-18 in grades 6-12 that were interviewed during the 2005 school year. It shows that student victims of crime are more likely to report conditions of an unfavorable school climate, security measures at school, and exhibit fear and avoidance behaviors. Additional topics covered in this report include the prevalence and
type of student victimization at school and selected characteristics of victims, including their demographic characteristics and school type; and victim and nonvictim reports of the presence of gangs and weapons and the availability of
drugs."

Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Fact Sheet
"Securing the Border

* DHS has completed more than 216 miles of pedestrian fence and 154 miles of vehicle fence on the southwest border, for a total of approximately 370 miles.
* The Border Patrol now has more than 17,600 agents and by the end of this year we will have more than 18,300 agents. This doubles the size of the Border Patrol over the Fiscal Year (FY) 2001 level.
* We are using technology along the border in connection with tactical infrastructure, where Border Patrol deems necessary. Some technology currently used includes: unattended ground sensors, truck-mounted mobile surveillance systems, remote video surveillance systems, unmanned aerial systems, and fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft to detect, classify, track and respond to illegal border crossings.
* DHS saw a more than 17 percent reduction in apprehensions of illegal aliens at the southern border in FY 2008. This is an indication that there are fewer attempts to cross the border illegally..."

2007 Census of Governments Counts 16 Million State and Local Employees
" The nation’s 89,526 state and local governments employed 16.4 million full-time equivalent employees in 2007, a 4.5 percent increase from 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

These State and Local Government Employment and Payroll figures are the first comprehensive data to be released from the 2007 Census of Governments. Local governments include counties, cities, townships, special districts and school districts. Individual state descriptions of government structures are available online.

Local governments accounted for 12.1 million full-time equivalent employees, and state governments had 4.3 million. The number of full-time equivalent employees is equal to the number of hours worked by part-time employees divided by the standard number of hours for a full-time employee. The result is then added to the number of full-time employees.

Most full-time equivalent state and local employees worked in education (8.8 million), hospitals (989,000), police protection (933,000) and corrections (731,000)..."

Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program
"The FDIC has created this program to strengthen confidence and encourage liquidity in the banking system by guaranteeing newly issued senior unsecured debt of banks, thrifts, and certain holding companies, and by providing full coverage of non-interest bearing deposit transaction accounts, regardless of dollar amount.

Here are links to provide background on the program and to answer any questions you might have.

October 23, 2008 - Chairman's Statement on the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program

* Interim Rule Implementing the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program - PDF (PDF Help)

Frequently Asked Questions – As of October 17, 2008
The FDIC has prepared answers to your questions about this program. These questions will be updated as more questions are received. You may submit questions by email to: tlgp@fdic.gov.

TSA to Assume Watch List Vetting with Secure Flight Program
"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today[10/22/08] announced the issuance of the Secure Flight Final Rule, which shifts pre-departure watch list matching responsibilities from individual aircraft operators to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and carries out a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission. By bringing watch list matching responsibilities in-house, TSA can better remedy possible misidentifications when a traveler's name is similar to one found on a watch list...

Airlines will be required under Secure Flight to collect a passenger's full name, date of birth, and gender when making an airline reservation. This additional information is expected to prevent most inconveniences at the airport, and will be particularly important for those individuals with names similar to those on the watch list."

American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month: November 2008
"The first American Indian Day was celebrated in May 1916 in New York. Red Fox James, a Blackfeet Indian, rode horseback from state to state, getting endorsements from 24 state governments, to have a day to honor American Indians. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed a joint congressional resolution designating November 1990 as “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations have been issued every year since 1994. This Facts for Features presents data for American Indians and Alaska Natives, as this is one of the six major race categories."

The Global Nuclear Detection Architecture: Issues for Congress
"In 2005, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) was established within
the Department of Homeland Security to centralize coordination of the federal
response to an unconventional nuclear threat. The office was codified in 2006
through the passage of the SAFE Port Act (P.L. 109-347) and given specific statutory
responsibilities to protect the United States against radiological and nuclear attack, including the responsibility to develop a “global nuclear detection architecture.” Determining the range of existing federal efforts protecting against nuclear attack, coordinating the outcomes of these efforts, identifying overlaps and gaps between them, and integrating the results into a single architecture are likely to be evolving, ongoing tasks..."

Tax Issues Relating to Charitable Contributions and Organizations
"The value of tax benefits for charitable contributions and organizations is
estimated to be around $100 billion per year. About half of this cost arises from the
deductions for charitable contributions, and about half from exemptions of earnings
of non-profits.

While revisions to the treatment of charitable contributions and tax-exempt
organizations that receive contributions have been made in the past few years, several issues may be considered in future legislation. Of most immediate concern are the provisions that, as a part of the “extenders,” expired at the end of 2007 and may be considered for extension. Other issues that may arise reflect concerns about donor advised funds and supporting organizations (now under study at the Treasury Department), nonprofit hospitals’ provision of charity care, and educational
institutions’ use of growing endowments. While no current proposals are under
consideration, charitable contribution floors and extensions to non-itemizers were
included in the President’s Advisory Panels’ tax proposals and in the Congressional
Budget Office’s budget options study..."

CDC Study Finds 3 Million U.S. Children have Food or Digestive Allergies
"The number of young people who had a food or digestive allergy increased 18 percent between 1997 and 2007, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2007, approximately 3 million U.S. children and teenagers under age 18 – or nearly 4 percent of that age group – were reported to have a food or digestive allergy in the previous 12 months, compared to just over 2.3 million (3.3 percent) in 1997.

The findings are published in a new data brief, “Food Allergy Among U.S. Children: Trends in Prevalence and Hospitalizations.” The data are from the National Health Interview Survey and the National Hospital Discharge Survey, both conducted by CDC′s National Center for Health Statistics..."

Department Releases New Policy Document on Charter Schools
"The U.S. Department of Education has released a new publication on creating and maintaining successful charter schools, summarizing its vision for the future of the charter school sector in the U.S. and outlining steps to happen to achieve that vision.

Produced by the Department's Office of Innovation and Improvement, A Commitment to Quality: National Charter School Policy Forum Report draws from discussions with charter school leaders at the Department's forum on charter schools in May 2008, as well as 15 years of research and experience with charter schools. The forum, which shared lessons and outlined future directions for the charter sector, featured nearly 100 of the foremost leaders on charter schools from across the nation..."

EPA announces the release of the Fuel Economy Guide
"Fuel Economy Guide: The Fuel Economy Guide is an annual publication containing the fuel economy estimates for all cars and light trucks. The guide includes much more information than appears on the window sticker label, including information about alternative fueled vehicles, the range of fuel economy for different classes of vehicles, a list of fuel economy leaders, and tips for improving fuel economy. The guide is published jointly by the Department of Energy and EPA. Every year, EPA announces the release of the fuel economy estimates and publishes lists of the models with the highest and lowest fuel economy. Below are the lists for the 2009 model year Fuel Economy Guide..."

Fact Sheet: Helping Responsible Homeowners Avoid Foreclosure
"The Federal Government is collaborating with State and local partners to use the best tools available to keep homeowners in their homes. Americans need to know that help is available. The actions of the Federal Government are helping to address a key problem in the housing market: the excess supply of homes on the market. By helping responsible borrowers facing preventable foreclosures stay in their homes and ensuring that mortgage financing remains available to consumers, our housing market will be able to recover – and that recovery will help our broader economy grow..."

U.S. Air Quality Standards for Lead Now 10 Times Stronger
" EPA dramatically strengthened the nation's air quality standards for lead, improving public health protection, especially for children. The new standards tighten the allowable lead level 10 times to 0.15 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air (ug/m3).

"America's air is cleaner than a generation ago," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "With these stronger standards a new generation of Americans are being protected from harmful lead emissions."

This decision marks the first time the lead standards have changed in 30 years. EPA strengthened the standards after a thorough review of the science on lead, advice from the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, and consideration of public comments. The previous standards, set in 1978, were 1.5 ug/m3.

EPA's action sets two standards: a primary standard at 0.15 ug/m3 to protect health and a secondary standard at the same level to protect the public welfare, including the environme.."nt.

Statistical Sites on the World Wide Web
A resource of the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Auction Basics: Background for Assessing Proposed Treasury Purchases of Mortgage-
Backed Securities
"Stabilization Act (EESA; H.R. 1424, P.L. 110-343), enacted on October 3, 2008,
authorizes purchases of “troubled assets.” The act passed the Senate on October 1,
2008, passed the House on October 3, 2008, and was signed into law the same day.

The Administration proposed using reverse Dutch auctions to purchase troubled
assets — primarily mortgage-related securities from financial institutions. In reverse Dutch auctions, a buyer purchases multiple objects from private parties at a price set by the last accepted bid. The government has used reverse auctions since the Revolutionary War. Designing efficient reverse Dutch auctions may present some
tradeoffs between enhancing competition among bidders and overpaying for assets
relative to their quality. Careful auction design, however, can help minimize these
problems.

Auctions are especially useful for selling assets whose value to potential owners
is unknown to the seller. Reverse auctions are useful when a buyer does not know
what value sellers place on assets. Auction results could clarify the market value of
troubled assets. The price discovery properties of auctions could stimulate trading
by reducing private traders’ uncertainty about the value of troubled assets..."

Fact Sheet: Plan To Stabilize Financial System Is Limited In Size, Scope, And Duration
"Today, President Bush visited the United States Chamber of Commerce and discussed the actions that the Federal Government has taken in response to the financial crisis. The President explained that the government took swift action to protect the financial security of the American people. One important element, the equity purchase program, is designed with strong protections to ensure the government's involvement is limited in size, limited in scope, and limited in duration:

* The government's involvement is limited in size. The government's investment is capped for any individual firm that chooses to participate in this voluntary program, so that private investors retain control.
* The government's involvement is limited in scope. The government will not exercise control over any private firm. The shares owned by the government will have voting rights that can be used only to protect the taxpayer's investment – not to direct the firm's operations.
* The government's involvement is limited in duration. This program includes provisions to encourage banks to buy back their shares from the government when the markets stabilize and they can raise money from private investors..."

STAGNANT WATERS: THE LEGACY OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION ON THE CLEAN WATER ACT
Report prepared by the minority staff of the U.S. House of Representative, Committee on Transportation and Infrasturcture.
"...The Bush administration has presided over the slow, but steady, dismantling of the Clean Water Act. However, unlike earlier overt attempts by Republicans in Congress, the Bush administration’s weakening of the Act has been subtle – eliminating Federal clean water protections in favor of market-based, pro-industry philosophies that will result in dirtier water throughout the United States.

Whether through internal administrative actions to undermine, withdraw, or weaken environmentally protective rules and regulations, through efforts to restrict or eliminate funding for Federal agencies charged with the responsibility of implementing or enforcing the nation’s environmental laws, or through outright reversals of important programs and policies that maintain water quality protection, the Bush administration has spent the last eight years undermining efforts to protect the nation’s waters..."

Bullying is Not a Fact of Life
Advice for parents and school administrator on bullying.

Executive Compensation Disclosure
A new resource from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission providing compensation for executive officers from the public filings of 500 large public companies. The databse is searchable by ticker symbol/name of company, public market capitalization, revenue, and industry.

Presidential Succession: Perspectives, Contemporary Analysis, and 110th Congress Proposed Legislation
"Presidential succession was widely considered to be a settled issue prior to the
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. These events demonstrated the potential
to disable both the legislative and executive branches of government, and raised
the question of whether current arrangements are adequate to guarantee continuity
in government under such circumstances. Members’ concerns may be heightened as the
110th Congress prepares not only for its successor, but a change of administration, as well. Is the United States Government at greater risk of terrorist attack during this period of transition? Are present arrangements adequate to ensure continuity
in the presidency in the event of a “worst-case” scenario? Some analysts and
Members of Congress advocate modifications to existing laws to eliminate gaps and enhance procedures in the area of presidential succession..."

Consumers Warned to Avoid Fake E-mails Tied to Bank Mergers
"The Federal Trade Commission urges caution regarding e-mails that look as if they come from a financial institution that recently acquired a consumer’s bank, savings and loan, or mortgage. In fact, these messages may be from “phishers” looking to use personal information – account numbers, passwords, Social Security numbers – to run up bills or commit other crimes in a consumer’s name.

Consumers are warned not to take the bait. The FTC has advice about how to stay on guard against this type of scam. To learn more, see the consumer alert “Bank Failures, Mergers and Takeovers: A ‘Phish-erman’s Special,’” at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt089.shtm..."

Children's Environmental Health, 2008 Highlights
"Since its founding in 1970, EPA’s mission has been to protect human health and the
environment. This report, eighth in an annual series from the Office of Children’s Health Protection and Environmental Education, highlights the Agency’s recent work on protecting the health of children by addressing the environments where they live,
learn and play."

Terrorist Assets Report Calendar Year 2007: Sixteenth Annual Report to Congress on Assets in the United States of Terrorist Countries and International Terrorism Program Designees
"Section 304 of Public Law 102-138, as amended by Public Law 103-236 (22
U.S.C. § 2656g) (hereinafter referred to as Section 304) (Tab 1), requires the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Attorney General and appropriate investigative agencies, to provide an annual report to the Congress concerning the nature and extent of assets held in the United States by terrorism-supporting countries and organizations engaged in international terrorism. The Department of the Treasury submitted its first Terrorist Assets Report to the Congress in April 1993. The current report, covering calendar year 2007, is the sixteenth successive Terrorist Assets Report.

The Terrorist Assets Report, which is prepared by OFAC based on information
reported to it by other Government agencies and non-government parties, is submitted to the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Finance in the Senate and to the Committee on International Relations and the Committee on Ways and Means in the House of Representatives."

Grantee Communications Kit: Your Guide to Communicating with the Press, Your Colleagues and the IMLS Office of Public and Legilsative Affairs.
U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, 2008
NF 4.2:F 76/Cd (cd-rom)
Provides information for grant recipients on communicating the grant award to the press and followup to the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The Cyclically Adjusted and Standardized Budget Measures
"In September 2008, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its most recent baseline projections of federal revenues, outlays, and budget balances for the
next 10 years. Those projections are subject to procedures under which CBO assumes the continuation of current laws and policies affecting taxes and mandatory programs
and extrapolates the growth of discretionary spending by using projected rates of inflation. According to CBO’s projections, under current tax and spending policies, the budget deficit would increase from $161 billion in 2007 to $407 billion in 2008 and $438 billion in 2009. Measured relative to the size of the economy—that is, as a
percentage of gross domestic product, or GDP—the deficit would be 2.9 percent of GDP in 2008 and 3.0 percent in 2009."

Economic Slowdown: Issues and Policies
"Recent policies have sought to contain damages spilling over from housing and
financial markets to the broader economy. These policies include monetary policy,
which is the responsibility of the Federal Reserve, and fiscal policy. Legislators and the President adopted an economic stimulus package (P.L. 110-185) on February
13. Another stimulus package is under consideration. Over the past few months, the
government has also intervened in specific financial markets, including acquisition
of troubled firms. Administration officials. with bipartisan support of Congressional
leaders, proposed a massive intervention in financial markets. This intervention
goes beyond normal monetary policy and involves Congressional consideration. The
plan, H.R. 3997, proposes authority to purchase $700 billion in assets..."

Income and Poverty Among Older Americans in 2007
"Older Americans are an economically diverse group. In 2007, the median
income of individuals aged 65 and older was $17,382 but incomes varied widely
around this average. One-fourth of Americans 65 or older had incomes of less than
$10,722 in 2007, while another one-fourth had incomes of $32,160 or more. As
Congress considers reforms to Social Security and the laws governing pensions and
retirement savings plans, it may be helpful to examine how changes to one income
source would affect each of the others, and thus the total income of older Americans..."

Hearing on Causes and Effects of the Lehman Brothers Bankruptcy, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
"The Committee held a hearing to examine the regulatory mistakes and financial excesses that led to the bankruptcy filing by Lehman Brothers. The hearing was held at 10:00 a.m. on October 6, 2008, in Rayburn House Office Building room 2154."

Examining the Causes of the Credit Crisis of 2008, Minority Staff Analysis[Republicans]
"In the midst of the most serious financial crisis in a generation, some claim that deregulation is entirely to blame. This is simply not true and more importantly serves to grossly oversimplify a problem whose roots run deep and involve myriad actors and issues. The simple truth is that many share the blame, and pointing to just one person or organization does a disservice to the American people.

In a time of crisis, the American people cannot afford the same old partisan finger pointing; they need and deserve real, non-partisan oversight. We need a series of hearings that will focus on the root causes and how we can fix a system in order to avoid financial meltdowns in the future. This minority staff analysis attempts to objectively explore the causes of the financial crisis we are in and how companies like Lehman Brothers and AIG contributed to this crisis..."

National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change
"This National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change provides an overview of the likely effects of climate change on water resources and the nation’s clean water and safe drinking water programs. This final strategy also describes 40 specific actions the National Water Program intends to take to adapt program implementation in light of climate change."

Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
Complete text of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION

Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, January - March 2008
"This release includes estimates for enrollment in high deductible health plans (HDHPs) and consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) that combine a HDHP with a health savings account, as well as estimates of participation in flexible spending account (FSA) arrangements for medical expenses.

From January - March 2008, 20.3% of persons under 65 years of age with private health insurance were enrolled in a HDHP, 5.3% were enrolled in a CDHP, and 17.2% were in a family with a FSA for medical expenses.

From January - March 2008, 42.6 million persons of all ages (14.3%) were uninsured at the time of the interview, 55.3 million (18.5%) had been uninsured for at least part of the year prior to the interview, and 31.2 million (10.5%) had been uninsured for more than a year at the time of the interview.

From January - March 2008, the percentage of children under the age of 18 years who were uninsured at the time of the interview was 8.5%

From January - March 2008, more than 66% of unemployed adults aged 18-64 years and more than 22% of employed adults in this age group had been uninsured for at least part of the past year. More than 40% of unemployed adults aged 18-64 years and more than 13% of employed adults in this age group had been uninsured for more than a year."

Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq
"The strategic goal of the United States in Iraq remains a unified, democratic, and federal Iraq that can govern, defend, and sustain itself and is an ally in the war on terror. The United States is pursuing this goal along political, security, economic, diplomatic, and rule of law lines of operation. This report measures progress toward achieving this goal during June through August 2008 and highlights challenges to Iraqi and Coalition efforts to achieve their mutual objectives...:

FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ARRESTS SURPASS DRUG ARRESTS
"Immigration and drug arrests comprised more than half of the 140,200 federal suspects arrested and booked by the U.S. Marshals in 2005, the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. Material witness (20 percent), immigration (15 percent) and weapons (11 percent) arrests increased at the fastest annual rate from 1995 to 2005. In 2005, immigration (27 percent) was the most prevalent arrest offense followed by drug (24 percent) and supervision violations (17 percent)..."

Global Legal Monitor
"The Global Legal Monitor is an online publication from the Law Library of Congress covering legal news and developments worldwide. It is updated frequently and draws on information from the Global Legal Information Network, official national legal publications, and reliable press sources. You can search previous news by searching the archive."

Public Health And Environmental Radiation Protection Standards For Yucca
"EPA has established radiation standards for the proposed spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste disposal facility at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.

EPA is required to set standards consistent with the findings and recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and satisfy a July 2004 court decision to extend the standards' duration. The Yucca Mountain standards are in line with approaches used in the international radioactive waste management community. The final standards will:

* Retain the dose limit of 15 millirem per year for the first 10,000 years after disposal;
* Establish a dose limit of 100 millirem annual exposure per year between 10,000 years and 1 million years;
* Require the Department of Energy (DOE) to consider the effects of climate change, earthquakes, volcanoes, and corrosion of the waste packages to safely contain the waste during the 1 million-year period; and
* Be consistent with the recommendations of the NAS by establishing a radiological protection standard for this facility at the time of peak dose up to 1 million years after disposal."

FBI’s Complete File on Martin Luther King, Jr.
"The FBI's entire main (Headquarters) file on Martin Luther King, Jr. All 121 parts - 16,600+ pages - posted online for the first time, by The Memory Hole."