Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) gets 30 months.

* tpmm:

'A judge has just sentenced Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) to 30 months. Prosecutors had recommended a 29 month sentence."

* amy:

"China Conducts Anti-Satellite Missile Test
A successful anti-satellite test by China is raising fears of a renewed arms race in space. The test was carried out last week – the first known attempt in two decades. Chinese missiles targeted a weather satellite just over 500 miles from earth, creating a cloud of debris that will take years to clear. Some experts believe China conducted the test to pressure the Bush administration into negotiating a weapons ban. The White House has rejected calls from Russia and China for an arms control treaty."

* amy:

Shareholders Challenge AT&T Role in Domestic Spying
News of the wiretap reversal coincided with an announcement telecom giant AT&T is facing an effort by shareholders to disclose its role in domestic spying. The shareholders have put forward a proposal asking AT&T executives to issue a report detailing its cooperation with the National Security Agency and outlining new steps to protect consumer privacy. The effort is being led by the investor activist group As You Sow. AT&T has asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to exclude the resolution from its proxy statement based partly on so-called “state secrets privilege.”

* froomkin:

"In other words, the only thing that's changed is that the Bush administration found one anonymous judge on the secret panel to say that what it was doing was legal all along."

* nyt:

" Iran’s outspoken president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, appears to be under pressure from the highest authorities in Iran to end his involvement in its nuclear program, a sign that his political capital is declining as his country comes under increasing international pressure.

Just one month after the United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions on Iran to curb its nuclear program, two hard-line newspapers, including one owned by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called on the president to stay out of all matters nuclear.

In the hazy world of Iranian politics, such a public rebuke was seen as a sign that the supreme leader — who has final say on all matters of state — might no longer support the president as the public face of defiance to the West.

It is the first sign that Mr. Ahmadinejad has lost any degree of Ayatollah Khamenei’s confidence, a potentially damaging development for a president who has rallied his nation and defined his administration by declaring nuclear power Iran’s “inalienable right.”
[]
It was unclear, however, whether this was merely an effort to improve Iran’s public image by lowering Mr. Ahmadinejad’s profile or was signaling a change in policy.

The presidency is a relatively weak position with no official authority over foreign policy, the domain of the supreme leader. But Mr. Ahmadinejad has used his post as a bully pulpit to insert himself into the nuclear debate, and as long as he appeared to enjoy Ayatollah Khamenei’s support, he could continue."