After news that U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was holding off implementation of the Partner Vetting System (PVS) until the agency reviews comments, more news reveals that the program will be altered to only target aid recipients in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. USAID officials met with some of the nonprofit organizations who submitted comments. At the meeting the changes to the proposed program were announced, and that it is operational but has not been implemented. USAID presented the nonprofit representatives with a power point presentation explaining the program.

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) announced that it reached a settlement with America Coming Together (ACT), ruling that the group violated federal campaign finance laws during the 2004 Presidential election. ACT agreed to pay $775,000 to settle charges that it used soft money to pay for federal campaign expenses. In 2004 the Campaign Legal Center, Democracy 21, and the Center for Responsive Politics filed a complaint against ACT for illegally spending soft money to influence the 2004 presidential campaign.

Possibly because of last week's publicity that opposition to the proposed U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Partner Vetting System from charitable organizations was increasing caused the Bush administration to postpone the start of the program until the agency reviews comments.

Almost a year ago FBI agents raided the Muslim charity Life for Relief and Development, taking away computers and records while nobody has yet been charged with anything and the charity continues operation. Understandably, Life for Relief is now asking for the return of nearly 200 boxes of paperwork critical to its operations. The U.S.