The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) Blog

Morning Smoke: Regulators Missed Chance to Police JPMorgan

MORNING SMOKE

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 online producer

Financial Sector Oversight

Regulators’ Shake-Up Seen as Missed Bid to Police JPMorgan
Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Ben Protess, DealBook

Clock Is Ticking on Crisis Charges
Jean Eaglesham, Jeannette Neumann, and Reed Albergotti, Wall Street Journal 

In 2007, New York Fed was told about problems with Libor
Zachary A. Goldfarb, The Washington Post

National Security

F-22 Taking Fire Again, One Expert Says 'Shame On Panetta'
John T. Bennett, DOTMIL

Pentagon spending plans will exceed projected budget: CBO
David Alexander, Reuters

Army secretary considers fate of missile defense chief
Titus Ledbetter III, Space News

DARPA to Get a New Direct -- One with Solyndra Connections
Dawn Lim, NextGov

Whistleblower Issues

Whistleblower sits in Defense IG office
Jeremy Herb, DEFCON Hill 

Filling Treasury Jobs Delayed Over IRS Whistleblower Concerns
Peter S. Green, Bloomberg

Information Policy

Fundamental Classification Review Yields Uncertain Results

Steven Aftergood, Secrecy News

Morning Smoke: Why Afghanistan Construction Costs So Much

MORNING SMOKE

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 online producer

National Security

Why Building Stuff in Afghanistan Costs So Much
Mark Thompson, Battleland

Top General Proposed Corruption Probe He's Accused of Blocking
Noah Shachtman and Spencer Ackerman, Danger Room

Republican Senators Eye Loophole Fix to Avert Mandatory Pentagon Cuts
Alexander Bolton, The Hill

Darpa Gets a New Boss, and Solyndra Is in Her Past
Noah Shachtman, Danger Room

Lawmakers Say Their Patience with F-22 Issues is 'Wearing Thin'
Carlo Munoz, The Hill

Financial Oversight

Regulators Charge Futures Brokerage Firm and Chief with Fraud
Azam Ahmed, The New York Times

Assessing the Chances for Criminal Charges in the Libor Scandal
Peter J. Henning, The New York Times

The Spreading Scourge of Corporate Corruption
Eduardo Porter, The New York Times

Wall Street Short on Ethics, Report Finds
William Alden, The New York Times

Public Health

Federal Scientists Take Stand Against Stock Act
Eric Yoder, The Washington Post

Nuclear Issues

Building Costs Rise at US Nuclear Sites
The Associated Press

Why No One Notices Our MAD Planet
William Hartung, Tom Dispatch

Morning Smoke: Another MF Global as Broker Said Missing $220 Million

MORNING SMOKE

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 online producer

Financial Oversight

MF Global Redux Feared as Broker Said Missing $220 Million
David Sheppard and Tom Polansek, Reuters

SEC Won't Require Real-Time Data in Market-Tracking System
Sarah N. Lynch, Reuters

Bank Scandal Turns Spotlight on Regulators
Ben Protess and Mark Scott, The New York Times

Lobbying

U.S. Defense Firms Spending More on Lobbying
Zachary Fryer-Biggs, Defense News

Whistleblower Issues

US Judge: Dodd-Frank Beefs Up Protection for Whistleblowers
Jonathan Stempel, Reuters

Treasury IG Finds Deficiencies in IRS Whistleblower Program
Corporate Whistleblower Blog

Whistleblowers and the Obama Presidency: The National Security Dilemma
Richard Moberly, Social Science Research Network

National Security

CNO Ready to Cut Back on F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
Mackenzie Eaglen, Aol Defense

Marines Peg 'Bad Flying' As Cause for April V-22 Crash in Morocco
Richard Whittle, Aol Defense

Osprey's Next Jobs: Tanker or AWACS?
Defense Tech

Spy Agencies Won't Read Americans' Email for Security: General
Tabassum Zakaria and David Alecander, MSNBC

Morning Smoke: British Get Tough on Barclays, Revealing Lax Wall Street Regulation

MORNING SMOKE

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

Financial Oversight

The British, as Least, Are Getting Tough
Gretchen Morgenson, The New York Times

Beyond Barclays: Laying Out the Libor Investigations
Cora Currier, ProPublica

Bailout Terms Strain Small Banks
E. Scott Reckard, Los Angeles Times

JPMorgan Chase Confronts Federal Regulatory Probes, Other Headaches
Jia Lynn Yang, The Washington Post

Government Oversight

Justice's New Watchdog Meets Fast and Furious
Carrie Johnson, NPR

National Security

How the F-35 Nearly Doubled in Price (And Why You Didn't Know)
Winslow Wheeler, Battleland

Pentagon Cuts $1 Billion from Funding for Afghanistan's National Security Forces
Carlo Munoz, The Hill

5 Ways to Stop National Security Leaks (But Do You Really Want To?)
Spencer Ackerman, Danger Room

Nuclear Weapons

The Truth About Nuclear Weapons
Peter G. Cohen, CounterPunch

Morning Smoke: Federal Government Misses Small Business Contracting Goal for Eleventh Straight Year

MORNING SMOKE

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

Contract Oversight

Federal Government Fails Small Businesses For Eleventh Straight Year
J.D. Harrison, The Washington Post

Financial Oversight

New Agency Plans to Make Over Mortgage Market
Edward Wyatt, The New York Times 

SEC Names Director of Investment Management
Peter Lattman, The New York Times

Trader's Messages Provide Grist for Investigators
Jean Eaglesham, David Enrich and Paul Viera, The Wall Street Journal

National Security

Sequester Fears Paralyze Would-Be Wave of Defense Acquisitions
Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., Aol Defense

White House, Committee Spar Over Acquisition Workforce Training Funds
Matthew Weigelt, Federal Computer Week

Public Health

Big Pharma's Big Fines
Lena Groeger, ProPublica

 

Whistleblower Issues

San Onofre Whistleblowers Less Protected Than Others in California
Abby Sewell, Los Angeles Times

NSA Tells Former ISOO Director to File a FOIA Request
Steven Aftergood, Secrecy News

Scoop on Inside Discussions Over Proposed Leak Provisions
Suzanne Kelly, CNN

Morning Smoke: Why is Nobody Freaking Out About the LIBOR Banking Scandal?

MORNING SMOKE

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

Financial Oversight

Why is Nobody Freaking Out About the LIBOR Banking Scandal?
Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone

Bob Diamond, Former Barclays Chief, Says Regulators Complicit in Rates Scandal
Anthony Faiola, The Washington Post

Issa Report: VIP Loans Brought Influence
John Bresnahan, Politico

Judge Rules Against SEC in Stanford Claims Case
Sarah N. Lynch, Reuters

Barclays Not Alone in Making Claims on Rate, Diamond Says
The Associated Press

Lie More, as a Business Model
Simon Johnson, The New York Times

National Security

On the Way to BRAC Savings, a Legion of Cost Overruns
Walter Pincus, The Washington Post

Pentagon Keeps Ties to Contractor That's Under Investigation
Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today

What Does a Quarter-Billion Dollars Buy?
Mark Thompson, Battleland

Morning Smoke: U.S. Spent $12.6 Billion Last Year to Protect Secrets

MORNING SMOKE

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

Open Government

Financial Costs of Classification Soar
Steven Aftergood, Secrecy News

Oh, the Places FOIA'll Go - Freedom of Information Law Turns 46
OpentheGovernment.org

The DNI as Security Executive Agent
Steven Aftergood, Secrecy News

National Security

Oxygen Problems on F-22 Elude the Air Force's Fixes
Elisabeth Bumiller, The New York Times

U.S. Navy Boosting LCS Core Crew Up to 50%
Christopher P. Cavas, Defense News

Drone Makers Urge U.S. to Let Them Sell More Overseas
W.J. Hennigan, Los Angeles Times

CBO: Senate Defense Bill Costs $634 Billion
Erik Wasson and Carlo Munoz, The Hill

Financial Oversight

Two Years Later, Many of Dodd-Frank's Rules Remain Unwritten, Report Finds
Peter Schroeder, The Hill

Former Brokers Say JPMorgan Favored Selling Bank's Own Funds Over Others
Susanne Craig and Jessica Silver-Greenberg, The New York Times

Public Health

GlaxoSmithKline Agrees to $3B Fraud Settlement
Mike Scarcella, The Blog of Legal Times

Glaxo, A Whistleblower & A Missed Opportunity
Ed Silverman, Pharmalot

Nuclear Weapons

U.S. Nearing Decision on New Nuclear Arms Cuts
Robert Burns, The Associated Press

Morning Smoke: FINRA Lost $84 Million in 2011 While Top Execs Paid Millions

MORNING SMOKE

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

Government Accountability

How to Foster a More Ethical Culture
Camille Tuutti, Federal Computer Week

Congress Finally Gets its Business Done. But First, Lots of Something Else
David A. Fahrenthold, The Washington Post

Financial Oversight

Funds and Allies Defend the Buck
Floyd Norris, The New York Times

Obama Administration Threatens to Veto House Bill with Below-Requested Funds for SEC
Bruce Carton, Compliance Week

Barclays Manipulates Libor While Auditor PwC Snoozes
Francine McKenna, Forbes

Securities Regulator FINRA Lost $84 Million in 2011
Jed Horowitz and Suzanne Barlyn, Reuters

Whistleblower Issues

Fast and Furious Whistleblowers Now Supervised by ATF Manager who Allegedly Threatened Retaliation
Sharyl Attkisson, CBS News

National Security

GOP Senators Propose House-Senate Work Groups on Sequester
Carlo Munoz, The Hill

Alternate Afghan Supply Route Tab: $2.1 Billion
Marcus Weisgerber, Navy Times

Morning Smoke: Defense Contractor Pleads Guilty to Illegally Aiding China

MORNING SMOKE

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

Contract Oversight

Military Contractors Are Fined Over Aid to China
Michael D. Schmidt, The New York Times

FedBizOpps.gov Contractor Under FBI Investigation
Jason Miller, Federal News Radio

Financial Oversight

Report: Secrecy Spending Jumped by More Than $1 Billion Last Year
Sean Reilly, Federal Times

As Regulator Scores Record Fine, Support Emerges for Bigger Budget
Ben Protess, The New York Times

Government Oversight

FOIA Request Forces DoJ to Reveal National Security Letter Templates
Cyrus Farivar, ARS Technica

Holder Held in Contempt of Congress, Which Means Almost Nothing
Robert Beckhusen, Danger Room

National Security

US, Japan Sign Deal on First Four F-35 Fighters
Andrea Shalal-Esa, Reuters

Cybercrime Disclosures Rare Despite New SEC Rule
Richard Lardner, Associated Press

Whistleblowing

Under Carolyn Lerner, Special Counsel Office is Doing its Job Now, Observers Say
Joe Davidson, The Washington Post

 

Morning Smoke: JPMorgan Trading Loss May Grow to $9 Billion

MORNING SMOKE

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

Financial Oversight

JPMorgan Trading Loss May Reach $9 Billion
Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Susanne Craig, The New York Times

Senators Demand Info on Wall Street's Use of Political Intelligence
Peter Schroeder, The Hill

Barclays Fined by U.K., U.S. for Falsifying Libor Rates
Lindsay Fortado and Silla Brush, Bloomberg

The Heat Rises on FINRA as Advisor SRO
Melanie Waddell, AdvisorOne

SEC Files Civil Charges Against Falcone
Azam Ahmed, The New York Times

Madoff's Brothers Sets Plea Deal in Ponzi Case
Peter Lattman and Diana B. Henriques, The New York Times

Contract Oversight

Committee Acts to Stop Contractors From Enabling Human Trafficking
Joe Davidson, The Washington Post

Money in Politics

Senate Democrats Serve Up a Pork Substitute
Kathleen Hunger, Businessweek

National Security

Skeptics Doubt Planned Defense Cuts Will Mean Massive Layoffs
John T. Bennett, U.S. News & World Report

DoD to Improve Tracking of Late-Payment Penalties
Matthew Weigelt, Federal Computer Week

Revolving Door

Booz Allen Alum Joins DoD as Executive
Federal Computer Week

Public Health

UPenn Whitewashed Ghostwriting Probe: Professor
Ed Silverman, Pharmalot

Morning Smoke: $12.3 Billion Nuclear Waste Plant Facing More Rising Costs, Longer Delays

MORNING SMOKE

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

Nuclear Issues

$12.3 Billion Hanford Plant Sees New Costs, Delays
Shannon Dininny, Associated Press

Inquiry on Nuclear Chief Finds No Rules Were Broken
Matthew L. Wald, The New York Times

Financial Oversight

SEC Money-Fund Rule Said to Include Capital or Floating Shares
Steven Sloan, Bloomberg

SEC Settlements with Individuals on the Rise
Sarah N. Lynch, Reuters

Big Banks Craft 'Living Wills' In Case They Fail
David Henry and Dave Clarke, Reuters

Role of Commercial-Mortgage-Bond Watchdogs is Cut
Al Yoon, The Wall Street Journal

SEC Said to Be Poised to Sue Fund Manager
Azam Ahmed, The New York Times

National Security

Pentagon Taps Two to Help Improve How It Buys
Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., Aol Defense

Congress Should Act to Avoid Sequestration Before Election, Senator Says
Charles S. Clark, Government Executive

DOD Financial Management: Improvements Needed in Prompt Payment Monitoring and Reporting
Government Accountability Office

Public Health

Measure to Increase FDA Funds from New Company Fees Goes to Obama
Dina ElBoghdady, The Washington Post

Morning Smoke: Defense Contractors Hold Jobs Hostage in Political Play

MORNING SMOKE

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

Contract Oversight

Pentagon Contractors Play a Disturbing Game
William Hartung and Stephen Miles, The Huffington Post

Pentagon to Withhold 5% from Certain Lockheed Contracts
Tony Capaccio, Business Week

A Faster, Better, Cheaper Way to do High-Tech Procurement?
Matthew Weigelt, Federal Computer Week

National Security

Defense Industry Shill: Give Lockheed Credit for Bin Laden Kill
Spencer Ackerman, Danger Room

Army Drops Universal Camouflage After Spending Billions
Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., Aol Defense

Whistleblower Issues

Intelligence Chief Announces New Rules to Curb Leaks
Charlie Savage, The New York Times

Much-Abused 'State Secretes Privilege' Under Fire in Congress
David Kravets, Danger Room

Financial Oversight

A Debate Goes Behind Closed Doors
Ben Protess, The New York Times

Regulator Proposes New Rule for Large Derivatives Trades
Ben Protess, The New York Times

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

SEC Responds to Noble Execs with Point-by-Point Takedown
Samuel Rubenfeld, The Wall Street Journal