Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) responding to whether she believed Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) had admitted to committing a crime by acknowledging having used an escort service.

The National Climatic Data Center released data today showing that global temperatures in the January-June period in 2007 have been “the second warmest on record for the January-June year-to-date period.” The NCDC report also revealed that it has been “the second driest January-June and driest April-June on record in the Southeast.”

Last night, ABC’s Nightline aired a segment capturing a rare view from the ground of the fighting that mires U.S. troops in Baghdad. Through the lens of an embedded reporter, ABC followed several U.S. soldiers for two weeks in May, watching them encounter roadside explosions that kill their fellow soldiers and embark on often futile hunts to root out “insurgents.” Watch the segment:

Approaching his fifteenth month in Iraq, one soldier made a personal challenge to President Bush: “I challenge the President or whoever has us here for 15 months to ride alongside me. I’ll do another 15 months if he comes out here and rides along with me every day for 15 months. I’ll do 15 more months. They don’t even have to pay me extra.”

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), the Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has asked Sara Taylor, the former White House political director, “to return to Capitol Hill for a deposition next week.” Waxman wants to speak with her about “politicizing government programs” that he says are “historically nonpartisan,” such as the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary, Jim Nicholson, has resigned. In a lengthy press release, the his department praises Nicholson for his “leadership” in “transform[ing] the VA health care system to meet the unique medical requirements of the returning combatants from Iraq and Afghanistan.”

In reality, however, Nicholson’s tenure put the health care of both current and future veterans at risk. Some highlights:

- In February 2005, Nicholson kicked off his tenure by calling praising a VA budget proposal that cut “health care staffing, reduced funding for nursing home care and [included] staffing cuts for the Board of Veterans Appeals.” He said it demonstrated of the Bush administration’s “ongoing commitment to provide the very best health care and benefits to those veterans who count on VA the most.” [LINK]

- In May of 2006, Nicholson waited two weeks to notify the Justice Department and FBI of the “largest loss of personal data in U.S. government history.” He then waited another full week before notifying the 26.5 million affected veterans of the theft. [LINK]

- In April of 2006, Nicholson rejected four separate bills “pending before Congress to reduce the 600,000-case backlog of veterans’ benefits claims.” [LINK]

- In May of 2007, the AP revealed that Nicholson awarded “$3.8 million in bonuses to top executives in fiscal 2006″ — many as much as $33,000 — despite the department suffering from a $1.3 billion shortfall. [LINK, LINK]

Nicholson — whose previous posts include chairman of the Republican National Committee and U.S. ambassador to the Vatican — was uniquely unprepared to deal with the challenges of caring for the health our nation’s veterans.

In March 2007, for example, he cynically defended what he called “‘anecdotal’ exceptions” of veterans falling through the cracks. “When you are treating so many people there is always going to be a linen towel left somewhere,” he said.

As Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) said today, “The next VA Secretary must have a record of being a strong and independent voice for veterans — not someone being rewarded for political loyalty.”

– Ryan Powers

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In a letter sent to House Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers (D-MI), George Manning, the attorney for former White House Counsel Harriet Miers, said that because of President Bush’s claim of executive privilege, “Ms. Miers will not appear before the Committee or otherwise produce documents or provide testimony as set forth in the Committee’s subpoena.” The Committee has previously warned that if Miers does not comply with the subpoena, she may face contempt of Congress.