Today's Details

-Election Science Institute (ESI), a San Francisco based non-profit, was contracted for $341,000 to do a complete study of the May 2 primary in Cuyahoga (Cleveland) County. The study was just released to the public and it is another scathing report against Diebold and their voting machines. Ohio requires a voter verified paper audit trail printer on every Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting machine. Nearly 10 percent of Cuyahoga County's official ballots in the May 2 primary were "destroyed, blank, illegible, missing, taped together or otherwise compromised," according to experts who studied the county's new electronic voting system. DETAILS

-Voter advocates filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to stop Pennsylvania counties from using "paperless" electronic voting machines, saying that such systems leave no paper record that could be used in the event of a recount, audit or other problem. DETAILS

-Seeking to counter the White House's depiction of its Middle East policies as crucial to the prevention of terrorist attacks at home, 21 former generals, diplomats and national security officials will release an open letter tomorrow arguing that the administration's "hard line" has actually undermined U.S. security. The letter comes as President Bush has made a series of appearances and statements, including a visit Tuesday to the National Counterterrorism Center in McLean, Va., seeking to promote the administration's record on security issues in advance of November's midterm congressional elections. DETAILS

-The Federal Communications Commision has mailed letters to the owners of 77 television stations inquiring about their use of video news releases, a type of programming critics refer to as "fake news." (Actually, I think the correct terminology would be "propaganda.") DETAILS

-As security conditions continue to deteriorate in Iraq, many Iraqi politicians are challenging the optimistic forecasts of governments in Baghdad and Washington, D.C., with some worrying that the rosy views are preventing the creation of effective strategies against the escalating violence.Their worst fear, one that some U.S. soldiers share, is that top officials don't really understand what's happening. Those concerns seem to be supported by statistics that show Iraq's violence has increased steadily during the past three years. "The American policy has failed both in terms of politics and security, but the big problem is that they will not confess or admit that," said Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish member of parliament. DETAILS

-Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has spent the past year burnishing its public image in the face of slowing sales growth and amplified criticism from labor groups. Now, it is turning its attention inward.The world's largest retailer yesterday sent letters to its 18,000 workers in Iowa, lambasting critics and political leaders for attacking the company during a nationwide bus tour sponsored by labor unions. The move marks the first time the company has solicited support from its own employees to help polish its image and is the first step in an aggressive new campaign dubbed the Voter Education Program. DETAILS