War Budget Could Get $70 Billion Boost; New York Police Expand DNA Testing; AOL Supports Microsoft Anti-Spam Plan

War Budget Could Get $70 Billion Boost

The Bush administration is expected to seek roughly $70 billion in emergency funding for wars in Afghanistan and Iraq early next year, upping the pricetag on total war costs to nearly $225 billion since the invasion of Iraq began early in 2003. According to a report in the Washington Post, the Army is expected to request an additional $30 billion for combat activity in Iraq and another $6 billion to repair equipment. Another $10 billion will go to the Army as it converts to a swifter expeditionary force. Others lining up with requests include the Marines, the Defense Logistics Agency, the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency.

For more details, read the full article in the Washington Post.

New York Police Expand DNA Testing

Ordinarily, New York police would only call for DNA tests in cases of homicide or rape. But a trial expansion of the tests in Queens to be used for other crimes, such as burglary, is reaping results. According to a story in The New York Times, the BIOtracks program has identified 23 suspects in connection with 34 cases, most of which police say might not have been solved otherwise. The department plans to expand DNA testing to similar crimes in all five boroughs. The key to expansion is a new $267 million DNA lab that the medical examiner’s office will open in 2006.

For more details, read the full article in The New York Times.

AOL Supports Microsoft Anti-Spam Plan

America Online, which a month ago passed on Microsoft’s Sender ID anti-spam plan, reversed itself Monday as Microsoft submitted a revised plan that is more compatible with AOL’s systems. According to a report in the Washington Post, the original Sender ID plan was criticized because Microsoft excluded some authentication technologies and it attempted to patent and license the technology in ways that would be incompatible with open-source software systems. One source told the Post that it was unlikely that the new standard would get the endorsement of the open-source community, but with AOL’s nod Sender ID would have a large enough footprint to force the rest of the industry to follow.

For more details, read the full article in the Washington Post.