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Senate passes ethics measure

By TIMES WIRES
Published January 19, 2007

The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly approved far-reaching ethics and lobbying reform legislation.

Under the bill, passed 96-2, senators will give up gifts and free travel from lobbyists, pay more for travel on corporate jets and make themselves more accountable for the pet projects they insert into bills.

Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., called it the "most significant legislation in ethics and lobbying reform we've had in the history of this country."

The Senate did reject the idea of setting up an independent office to investigate the ethical breaches of members.

The Senate also defeated, for the second straight year, a proposal to create an Office of Public Integrity to take over some of the investigative duties of the ethics committee. Supporters said the public suspected the ability of lawmakers to police themselves. The vote against the new office was 71-27.

Jury selection crawls in CIA leak case 

WASHINGTON - Jury selection slowed so much in the CIA leak trial Thursday that the judge postponed opening statements until next Tuesday.

Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald objected to lawyers for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby asking likely jurors for their opinions of White House officials and the Iraq war. Libby, former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, faces charges related to the investigation into the disclosure of the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame.

Wait, Canada doesn't really have spy coins 

WASHINGTON - Reversing itself, the Defense Department says a report it produced that warned about Canadian coins with tiny radio frequency transmitters was not true.

The Defense Security Service could not substantiate the claims. The service had said such coins were found on U.S. contractors with classified security clearances on at least three occasions as the contractors traveled in Canada.

[Last modified January 19, 2007, 01:43:03]