When a freight train accident took eight lives in South Carolina earlier this year because of unsafe and uninspected train cars carrying toxic materials, it heightened concerns about chemical security in our trains and trucks. Cities across the nation have begun addressing serious deficiencies on this homeland security issue because the federal government has done little. Boston, Cleveland, Chicago, and Baltimore are all considering legislation to mitigate the risks of shipping hazardous materials through their heavily populated centers.

A recent report by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF), a nonprofit organization that provides management advice to members of Congress and their staff, described improvements both congressional staff and advocacy groups should implement to improve the quality of communications to and from Congress in the Internet age.

An Urban Institute study of the Bush administration's Faith Based Initiative, found that, while many faith-based organizations (FBOs) are integral service providers, they often lack established benchmarks and have little oversight at the state, local and federal levels, regarding religious content and the ability of clients to choose an alternative provider.

Federal prosecutors announced they will not charge the man who ejected three Denver residents from a taxpayer-funded town hall meeting on Social Security, because their car had an anti-war bumper sticker. The announcement was made after the Secret Service referred its investigation to the U.S. Attorney's office to consider charges of impersonating a federal officer. During the March incident, the unidentified man threatened to arrest the three attendees, if they did not leave, even though they had tickets and were not disrupting the event.