Morning Smoke: A Medical Study Isn't Out, but the Attacks are Already In

Where there's smoke, there's fire. POGO's Morning Smoke is a collection of the freshest investigations, scoops, and opinions related to the world of government oversight. Have a story you'd like to see included? Contact POGO's blog editor.

Public Health

Study of Medical Device Rules is Attacked Sight Unseen
Barry Meier, The New York Times

Energy Oversight

Whistleblowers Say Nuclear Regulatory Commission Watchdog is Losing Its Bite
John Sullivan and Cameron Hickey, ProPublica

NRC Fast Track of Cul-de-sac?
Dave Lochbaum, All Things Nuclear

Contract Oversight

How the DoD Allows Contractors to Grade Themselves and Write Their Own Contract Terms, Part II
Charles M. Smith, Truthout 

Financial Oversight

Once Unthinkable, Breakup of Big Banks Now Seems Feasible
Jesse Eisinger, ProPublica

National Security

Defense Department Won't Decide Which Contractors Get Paid if US Defaults
John T. Bennett, The Hill 

Pentagon Clears 3-Star General of Alleged Misdeed
Robert Burns, Associated Press

Army Report Highlights Need for More Contracting Officers
OMB Watch

Pentagon Seeks to Reduce Subcontractor Costs for F-35
Marcus Weisgerber, Defense News

Open Government

NSA "Declassified" a Publicly Available Text on Cryptology
Steven Aftergood, Secrecy News

Transparency Groups Assail House GOP Maneuver to Send Debt Bill to Senate
Fox News

Energy Issues

US House Panel to Draft Plan to Split Federal Oil Money with States
Tennille Tracy, Dow Jones Newswires

Good Government

White House Names Members of New Effort on Waste, Fraud
Joe Davidson, The Washington Post

Comments

[Dfens]

Check out this interesting video Steve Trimble of The DEW Line shot of Sikorsky's presentation at the Oskhosh AirVenture on the future of it's high-speed coaxial rotor helos. Pay particular attention to the part about construction on the prototype S-97 high-speed military bird being set to begin in a "month or so." The first flight of the bird is tentatively scheduled for late 2013 or early 2014. -- Defense Tech

Ok, POGO, here's your chance to get behind something that would really save the US taxpayer some money. Here is a defense contractor that's willing to put their own money where their mouth is and develop a game changing new technology helicopter for the US Army. It took 3 decades to get the V-22 flying, and that crappy thing is still having major issues, not the least of them being a unique ring vortex state that has killed several crews. When the DoD needs real game changing technology it gets it from companies willing to spend their own money to develop it like General Atomics or Sikorsky or Barrett. Here's your chance to take a stand for the US taxpayer, POGO. Are you going to take it?