Share of Cost, Federal News Digest for June 28, 2011
Washington Post
Lessons from the Gates war room – Greg Jaffe examines the tenure of outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who marshaled his years of Washington experience under 8 presidents to become a successful Pentagon chief in time of war, and who says he had no time to be a “visionary”
Supreme Court to hear FCC challenge – Cecelia Kang reports that the Supreme Court will hear a case challenging the Federal Communications Commission’s “decency” rules on the grounds that they violate First Amendment free speech rights; the rules prohibit “indecent” speech such as nudity and curse words on TV between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. when children could be watching, and violations could result in fines or revocation of broadcast licenses
Which Petraeus will arrive at the CIA: The officer or the gentleman? – Walter Pincus considers Gen. Petraeus’s testimony at his confirmation hearing to be CIA chief and on his preparation for the transition from revered military leader to head of a civilian agency
Obama enters debt talks – Paul Kane and Rosalind S. Helderman report on the president’s one-on-one meetings with the Senate Majority and Minority leaders to jump-start negotiations on the debt, which will reach its limit in 6 weeks; Republicans are holding out for more than the $1.3 trillion in cuts in government spending that the administration has proposed
FCC dodges answers on wireless industry competition – Cecelia Kang reports that the Federal Communications Commission sidestepped the question of whether the wireless industry is competitive in its 15th annual report on the state of the industry; the issue is critical to regulators’ consideration of the merger of wireless giants AT&T and T-Mobile
FCC’s net neutrality rules about to be official, and invite lawsuits – Cecelia Kang reports that the Federal Communications Commission will finally submit its net neutrality rules, which it approved last December to the Office of Management and Budget, one of the final steps in implementing the open Internet requirements
Human trafficking: A scourge needs greater attention – The Post says the U.S. and other countries need to step-up efforts to eliminate human trafficking following release of the State Department’s annual “Trafficking in Persons” report
New York Times
Nuclear plant’s vital equipment dry, officials say – Matthew L. Wald reports on the tour by the head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Gregory B. Jaczko of the Fort Calhoun nuclear plant north of Omaha, Nebraska, which is threatened by flooding
Los Alamos laboratory is on alert for a wildfire – Kirk Johnson reports on a wildfire near the military’s nuclear research facility that led to evacuation of the town of Los Alamos; officials say nuclear materials are safely stored
Wall Street Journal
U.S. endorses Lagarde for IMF – Sudeep Reddy reports on Treasury Secretary Geithner’s announcement that the U.S. is supporting the candidacy of French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde to head the International Monetary Fund, giving Lagarde a majority of votes of IMF member nations
Senator blocks NRC Commissioner Ostendorff’s bid for 2nd term – Stephen Power and Corey Boles report that Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) is holding up the nomination because of Ostendorff’s intervention in a decision by Vermont to prohibit Entergy Corp. from managing the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant; meanwhile, Republicans are calling for the resignation of NRC chairman Gregory Jaczko based on a report of his withholding information from other commissioners
