Remember that airline commercial that asks “Want to get away?” In the Internet age, there is no getting away when somebody comes up with a truly dumb, ridiculous, or just plain bad idea.
Overheated
1| ‘Cash for clunkers’ conks out
The details: Jalopy-drivers cashed in so quickly on the new “Cash for Clunkers” program that it had to end after just four days. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had already committed $850 million of the billion-dollar program, which offers up to $4,500 for drivers who upgrade to more fuel-efficient cars.
Billion-dollar baby
2| Bailout banks gave huge ’08 bonuses
The details: Nine banks that received bailout money from the government paid a combined $32.6 billion in bonuses last year, even as some of them lost money. A report by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo reports Citibank and Merrill Lynch paid out $5.3 millions and $3.6 million, respectively, even as they posted annual losses.
Venezuela crackdown
3| Press freedom to be curtailed
The details: Venezuelan Attorney General Luisa Ortega, a crony of President Hugo Chavez, announced the need for new restrictions on the freedom of the press, in order to limit criticism of the government. “Freedom of expression must be limited,” she said, proposing penalties for “media crimes” by journalists “transmitting a false perception of the facts.”
Tehran crackdown
4| Police disperse mourners
The details: Iranian police used tear gas and brute force to disrupt the 40-day memorial of the slaying of Neda Soltan, who was slain in June during protests against Iran’s regime. Plainclothes police attacked thousands of mourners at her grave site Thursday, chanting, “Death to those who are against the supreme leader!”
Voter intimidation
5| Black Panthers scot-free after intimidating voters
The details: The Washington Times reported that the No. 3 official in Barack Obama’s Justice Department was behind a decision to drop a civil voter-intimidation complaint that the government had already won. Obama is letting off the hook three members of the New Black Panther Party, who were caught on tape and by witnesses intimidating Philadelphia voters in November.
It’s not over
6| VA Tech families: Recall panel
The details: Families of some of the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre victims are demanding that Gov. Tim Kaine reopen a state panel that reviewed the shooting deaths of 32 students and faculty members because it did not have access to the mental health records of Seung-Hui Cho, who killed himself after the bloody campus rampage. A former director of the university’s counseling center had “inadvertently” taken Cho’s file home.
Short circuited
7| Metro delays continue
The details: More than a month after the worst accident in Metro’s 33-year history, trains are still running on manual mode, causing major backups and delays. Although the official cause of the June 22 Red Line accident that killed nine people has not yet been officially determined, federal safety investigators found more than 60 faulty circuits in the automated “fail safe” system.
DUI
8| Alexandria police chief resigns
The details: Alexandria Police Chief David Baker resigned after being arrested for drunken driving and failing four field sobriety tests. While trying to merge onto Internet 66, Baker’s city-issued Ford Explorer crashed into another vehicle and injured its occupant. He was the second top city official to be arrested for DUI during the last five years.
Under the looking glass
9| Former mayor’s conduct probed
The details: The FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and former federal prosecutor Robert Bennett have all started investigations into a series of city contracts awarded by former Mayor Marion Barry to a former girlfriend and some questionable nonprofit groups. One whistleblower reportedly told federal agents that her name had been forged on the groups’ registrations.
Ballpark raid
10| Proposal angers local businesses
The details: Local business owners are irate that Mayor Adrian Fenty plans to divert $50 million they’ve paid into the Ballpark Revenue Fund to help close the city’s budget deficit. The District previously promised that the gross receipts tax on companies earning more than $5 million annually would be used to pay off the stadium debt.
