UPDATED 7:00 p.m.
Alex Goldmark here on the evening shift. We're adding a few stories to tomorrow's mix. The biggest is the developing story of 11 alleged Russian secret agents arrested on Sunday. The Justice Department announced they have been charged with conspiring to act as unlawful agents of the Russian Federation; nine are also charged with money laundering. One of the accused is a long time columnist for El Diario so we're reaching out to reporters who know her, as well as Russian diplomats for comment. We'll round out the details and have the full context for you by showtime.
We'll also get a follow up on a story we covered last month about ex-Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge, who was accused of torturing suspects into confessing. He has just been convicted of perjury in covering up the torture. Here's our previous interview on the topic with one of the suspects tortured into confessing.
POSTED 12:51 p.m.
Anna Sale here on the day shift.
We started today remembering Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia and his nearly fifty years of service in Washington. History marches on now, though, as Elena Kagan takes the seat at her confirmation hearings. Todd Zwillich is there covering for us, and you can see his twitter feed on our website. This report also caught our attention - it's a breakdown of decades of Supreme Court nomination hearings, and the kinds of questions that get asked and how they're answered. It also includes an analysis of the substiantial questioning versus getting-to-know-you banter. Turns out, women and minority nominees get mroe questions and less of the light-hearted back and forth. We'll hear more about this, and hear moments in history that illustrate this, as part of our Kagan coverage tomorrow.
We are also looking into the implications of the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling today that constitional protections for gun ownership override local laws. This case arose out of Chicago, where a wave of recent gun violence has already been making headlines. We're looking at how Chicagoans are reconciling this, and if it's changing the conversation around crime prevention locally.
Finally, General David Petraeus will walk into an already crowded Capitol Hill scene tomorrow, where confirmation hearings begin for his new post as a commanding officer in Afghanistan. We will be joined by Colonel Peter Mansoor, who worked alongside Petraeus in Iraq.
Anna Sale covers the 2012 election and regional politics for It's A Free Country, WNYC's interactive politics site. She got her start covering politics for public radio and television in West Virginia and Connecticut, and before returning to reporting, she was a managing producer for The Takeaway, WNYC's national morning news show. She's also contributed to NPR, Marketplace, Slate, Current TV, and NY1.
Follow Alex on Twitter.
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