Several weeks ago, a brave Computer Hacker proved to an anxious nation that at least one citizen still has an operating brain and can use it to crack difficult computer codes like “Where did you meet your spouse?” Authorities believe they have found the terrible miscreant who broke into Sarah Palin’s Yahoo account, and today he was indicted by a federal grand jury. Sounds fancy! MORE »

So, this guy? He is your Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Donald Kerr, and he would like you to trust him and all the nameless, faceless bureaucrats reading your e-mail, listening in on your phone calls and checking your financial accounts. Because, see, while it’s fine for them to be anonymous, he needs you to understand that you really don’t need to be, because “privacy” has nothing to do with anonymity anymore! MORE »

Your telephone company wants the government to forbid you from suing them for cooperating with said government in spying on you. All the lobbyists are Bush family connected, except the ones who are Democrats. But have you seen those new Wes Anderson AT&T ads? [Newsweek]

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What can we say? We have a terrible weakness for The Daily Show around here. And even though it’s your civic and comedic duty to watch it, we tune in too — so you don’t have to. MORE »

• Authorities allege that Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) formed a “corporate labyrinth” to “secretly receive illegal payments.” [WP]
• The Bush administration appears reluctant to enforce medical privacy laws; no civil fines have been issued despite 19,420 reported grievances. [WP]
• Lawsuits target electronic voting in at least six states. [USAT]
• South Dakota ruling has made abortion a top campaign topic in local races cross the country. [NYT]
• ‘08 campaign calendars and speculation align as Mark Warner (D) and Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) share a ballroom in Richmond. [WP]
• Rep. Katherine Harris’s (R-Fla.) Senate campaign is “inspiring dread among many in her party.” [USAT]

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“I’m afraid the administration hasn’t given us the authority necessary to order in Chinese.” MORE »

• Michael Chertoff moves to distribute DHS funds based on threats, not politics. [NYT]
• Advocacy groups “are pulling out all the stops” as Samuel Alito’s hearings approach. [NYT]
• Administration “is trying to recalibrate the military and foreign service to better handle postwar developments in future conflicts.” Rand expert: “There is wide recognition of the need to professionalize our response to postwar challenges.” [WSJ]
• U.S. is reducing its presence in Afghanistan. [WP]
• White House will make aggressive push for rebound in ‘06. Mark McKinnon: “This president has a real pattern of defying conventional wisdom.” [USAT]
• Iraq and economic issues will likely dominate the administration’s agenda in ‘06. [WT]
• Democrats plan to attack Republicans for violating the public’s privacy. [USAT]
• “Democratic gains appear to be inevitable” in ‘06 election, Stuart Rothenberg reports. [WT]
• Lawmakers’ divisions and inconsistencies over immigration are due in part to the public’s ambivalence. GOP pollster: “You wonder why politicians are not always consistent. It’s because public opinion’s not always consistent.” [WP]