contractors

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Pentagon Official Ran Private Assassin Support Crew

Honcho probed over secret 'Jason Bourne' crew

(Newser) - A senior Pentagon official secretly set up a private network of contractors to help track and kill militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan, military officials say. Michael D. Furlong may have diverted money from other programs to fund his own network of former CIA and Special Forces operatives, officials tell the...

Up to 56,000 Contractors Headed to Afghanistan

'Second surge' would expand role of private sector in war zone

(Newser) - Talk of the 30,000 troops Obama is sending to Afghanistan fails to note that they're likely to be joined by as many as 56,000 civilians, according to a tally by a congressional agency. The second surge would bring the number of independent contractors in Afghanistan to somewhere between...

UK Contractor Held in Green Zone Killing of 2 Co-Workers

Incident is second this summer of violence within protected Baghdad area

(Newser) - A security contractor working in Iraq has been charged with fatally shooting two of his co-workers in Baghdad’s Green Zone, the Washington Post reports. Danny Fitzsimmons, an employee of British firm ArmorGroup Iraq, has been arrested in the killing of fellow Briton Paul McGuigan and Australian Darren Hoare in...

In Recession, Homeowners Nail Contractors

As many vie for projects, consumer gains the upper hand

(Newser) - Hiring a contractor to remodel a kitchen or resurface a floor once meant a lot of hassle and some serious cash. But the recession has changed all that: Contractors these days are ready and willing to work on the cheap, Time reports. Projects are smaller, and spending on remodeling is...

Iraqis Detain 5 US Contractors in Murder Probe

(Newser) - Five US contractors have been detained in the investigation of the slaying of another American in Baghdad's Green Zone, officials said today, in what may become the first case of US citizens facing Iraqi justice under a security agreement that took effect this year. But the five have not been...

Stimulus Hasn't Reached States That Need It Most
Stimulus Hasn't Reached States That Need It Most
investigation
May 28, 2009 10:20 AM CDT

Stimulus Hasn't Reached States That Need It Most

(Newser) - The states President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package was most intended to help aren’t yet getting much out of it, USA Today reports after analyzing government contracts. The eight states with unemployment rates higher than 10% have seen an average of $7.42 per person from the $4...

Contractors Targeted in Pentagon Cuts

Gates aims to have procurement staff employed directly by Pentagon

(Newser) - The Pentagon's new budget proposal cuts the role of private contractors by a third—back to pre-9/11 levels—the Washington Post reports. Defense Secretary Robert Gates plans to replace tens of thousands of contracted workers with people employed directly by the Pentagon, especially among the vast workforce tasked with buying...

Inquiry Into Iraqi Graft Expands to Top US Officers

(Newser) - The United States' poor track record on rebuilding Iraq has long been chalked up to lousy planning by Pentagon brass. But an expanding investigation by federal authorities adds another element to the mix: possible corruption by the military commanders who oversaw reconstruction in the Wild West days after the invasion,...

Too-Speedy Bailout Spending May Squander Billions

Auditors understaffed for behemoth task, leaving field open to shifty contractors

(Newser) - If new federal bailout funds are spent too quickly, billions could be wasted because the government administrative staff may be too overburdened to provide adequate oversight, warn budget experts. Billions of dollars in government money were squandered by private contractors who overcharged the Bush administration, according to a government report....

Friend of Stevens Bullied Contractor Into Eating $13K Bill

'Think of it as a political contribution,' pal said

(Newser) - An Alaska oil exec told a carpenter working on renovations to Sen. Ted Stevens home that he would have to “eat” a final $13,393 bill, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The carpenter, Augie Paone, took the stand in Stevens’ corruption trial today in Washington, telling the court that...

As Troops Exit Iraq, US Spends More on Contractors

$1.2B spent for private security firms; critics say Iraqis should be picking up slack instead

(Newser) - American troops are trickling home, but at a hefty cost: The US has spent more than $1.2 billion this year on private security contractors—mostly to protect diplomats, but also to secure infrastructure and supplies, USA Today reports. The State Department says now that focus has shifted to rebuilding,...

Clinton: Nothing Immune From Bush's 'Waste, Fraud, Abuse'

Cronyism flourishes under Iraq, Katrina

(Newser) - The Bush White House has wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on corrupt deals and unaccountable contractors, Hillary Clinton writes in the Wall Street Journal. If America is going to regain fiscal stability, it must "increase transparency" and put an end to practices like "rewarding companies that exploit tax...

Military Doc: Contractors In Good Condition

Freed Americans "in great spirits" at Texas military base

(Newser) - The three American hostages rescued after more than five years in captivity in Colombia are in good physical and psychological shape, the Washington Post reports. The defense contractors, who arrived at a military base in Texas last night, were held by Colombian rebels in “very cruel and very spartan”...

Cheer Up! Recession Has a Bright Side
Cheer Up! Recession Has
a Bright Side
OPINION
May 24, 2008 7:28 PM CDT

Cheer Up! Recession Has a Bright Side

Finally contractors come on time, and driving is easier

(Newser) - While the specter of recession may leave you cold, consider the bright side: These days contractors, starved for work, actually show up on time, and killer gas prices help you to drive around a city like Los Angeles without facing much traffic, Meghan Daum writes in the Los Angeles Times.

Audit Shows Billions Unaccounted for in Iraq

Almost $8.2B in Iraq War funding evaded federal rules, reports the Pentagon

(Newser) - A Pentagon audit of $8.2 billion in taxpayer money spent in Iraq found that nearly all of the handouts skirted federal rules, and millions of dollars in contracts were awarded with little or no record of what they were for, reports the New York Times. Take the $320.8...

New Fear for Katrina Victims: Collectors

Company claims it overpaid on some rebuilding grants

(Newser) - A contractor responsible for doling out federal rebuilding money to Katrina victims is seeking another company to collect what may amount to hundreds of millions of dollars from Katrina victims. ICF International claims it overpaid some applicants in a rush to get $11 billion out the door; meanwhile, a third...

FBI Recovers 2 US Contractors in Iraq

4 others still missing after severed fingers put focus on hunt

(Newser) - The FBI said today it has the bodies of two US contractors who were kidnapped in Iraq, the AP reports. John Roy Young, a security worker, and Ronald Withrow, employed by an IT firm, were two of six contractors kidnapped in Iraq over the past 2 years. Journalists shone attention...

Boeing to Appeal $40B Contract
Boeing to Appeal $40B Contract
Mar 10, 2008 8:09 PM CDT

Boeing to Appeal $40B Contract

CEO claims 'serious flaws' in bidding

(Newser) - Boeing vowed today to appeal a controversial $40 billion contract to build refueling tankers for the Air Force, the Wall Street Journal reports. "Our team has taken a very close look at the tanker decision and found serious flaws in the process," Boeing CEO Jim McNerney said. The...

US Seeks Iraqi Authority to Continue War

Agreement would not need ratification

(Newser) - The White House is negotiating with Iraq what critics say is a treaty in all but name and could tie the hands of a future administration, reports the New York Times. The US is insisting on being granted continued authority to conduct the war and calling for legal protection for...

Big Dig's Big Mess Nets Big Settlement

Authorities to receive $458M for bungled Boston project

(Newser) - Contractors on the botched Boston construction project dubbed the Big Dig will pay state and federal authorities $458 million for its “gross failures.” But Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff will avoid criminal charges for a fatal 2006 ceiling collapse and won’t be banned from future government contracts, the Boston Herald...

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