At the ASUC Senate’s eleventh meeting, senators discussed their diminishing contingency fund, which has about $1,000 left. Senators are waiting to hear from the Auxiliary how much money they have in their reserve carry-forward fund before they use it to replenish the contingency and continue spending.

Computer science professor Brian Barsky addressed the senate to discuss loans the intercollegiate athletic program has taken from the UC Berkeley administration in the past. He said he is submitting a resolution to the Academic Senate calling for the cessation of administrative funding to athletics, and that he wants ASUC Senate to approve a bill supporting the cause. The senate approved such a bill later in the meeting.

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At this week’s ASUC Senate meeting, senators heard a warning from Finance Officer Alan Ni regarding their financial situation. He said there is less than 9 percent of funds left in the senate’s contingency fund, which is allocated in the spring for the senate to distribute throughout the semester.

Last week, Ni reported that 63 percent of the contingency fund remained. The senate spent about $9,000 at its meeting last week, which was almost 40 percent of the fund, according to Ni. Last week’s meeting was the first full meeting at which the senate could conduct official business since Sept. 23 due to a delay in confirming Ni to the finance officer position.

Ni said he would be writing a bill in the next few days to replenish the contingency fund with money from the carryforward fund, which serves as the senate’s reserve. He added that he thinks the senate needs better guidelines for approving bills.

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Obama to Make First Appointment as Justice Retires

Justice David H. Souter, appointed in 1990 by George H. W. Bush, plans to retire at the end of the term in June, giving President Obama his first  opening for an appointment to the Supreme Court, The New York Times reported.

Biden’s Take on Swine Flu

According to the Los Angeles Times, officials are doing some damage control after Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday on a morning talk show that he was telling his family members to avoid planes, trains and other enclosed spaces while the Obama administration has been trying to downplay causes for alarm.

Charges Against American Israel Public Affairs Committee Employees May Be Dropped

Prosecutors asked a judge to drop espionage-related charges against two former lobbyists of a pro-Israel lobbying group, citing a series of court decisions that made it unlikely their case would succeed. Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman were charged in 2005 with conspiring to obtain classified information and pass it to the Israeli government and journalists, according to The Washington Post.

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First Mate of Hijacked Ship Urges Action from Obama

The first mate of the cargo ship Maersk Alabama, whose crew defeated an attempted hijacking off the coast of Somalia last week, urged President Obama today to take strong action piracy, The Los Angeles Times reported. Obama said today that the U.S. was prepared to act against piracy and would work with its partners to prevent attacks in the future.

Congressman’s Plane Fired Upon in Somalia

According to the Associated Press, insurgents fired mortars shells at Mogadishu airport today as a plane carrying U.S. Rep. Donald Payne was leaving. The plane departed safely but 19 others in residential neighborhoods were injured in the attack. Payne made the trip to discuss piracy, security and cooperation with Somalia’s president and prime minister.

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Ban Lifted on Media Coverage of Fallen Soldiers’ Return Home

According to The Washington Post, for the first time in 18 years, the welcoming home of fallen soldiers was open to the public after President Obama lifted President George H.W. Bush’s news coverage ban. Today at Dover Air Force Base, with the consent of family, journalists documented the arrival home of 30-year-old Air Force Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Myers of Hopewell, Va. who was killed on April 4 in Afghanistan.

Pentagon Budget to Reflect Changes in Priorities

The New York Times reported that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will likely announce today deep changes in the Pentagon’s budget reflecting the Obama administration’s prioritization of countering terrorism and insurgencies over preparations for conventional warfare against large nations.

Suspect in Berkeley Home-Invasion Robbery Connected with El Cerrito Incident

One of the eight suspects arrested in connection with a February home-invasion robbery in Berkeley has been implicated in a similar incident in El Cerrito last year, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

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Obama Holds Off on Aid to Automakers

President Barack Obama announced today that General Motors and Chrysler would not receive additional federal aid unless the companies are able to provide acceptable restructuring plans in a limited period of time, The Washington Post reported.

Gunman Married to Nursing Home Employee

The New York Times reported that the gunman who killed eight and wounded three in a shooting rampage at a North Carolina nursing home Sunday was married to a nurse assistant at the home.

Six Dead in Family Murder-Suicide

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, six members of a family were shot and killed in a Santa Clara murder-suicide Sunday evening while another family member remains in critical condition.

UC Berkeley faculty are attracting national attention for advising Barack Obama as he prepares to enter the White House amidst economic turmoil. Meanwhile, their equally difficult task of reasoning with the outrageously stubborn TV personality Stephen Colbert has disappeared into the chasms of the internet.

Goldman School of Public Policy professor Robert Reich and Haas School of Business professor Laura Tyson—both on Obama’s Transition Economic Advisory Board—have exchanged witty remarks with the comically conservative anchor in separate appearances this year on “The Colbert Report.”

Reich appeared in March, when Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were still in a tight race for the Democratic nomination, and Colbert prodded Reich to reveal his preference. Reich, as former Secretary of Labor for Bill Clinton, refused to endorse either candidate.

Tyson spoke economics with Colbert in September, explaining why a Democratic president would be better for the nation, even for someone, like Colbert, who is in the top 2 percent of earners.

Reich’s conversation ended in a discussion of favorite Easter-basket treats, while Colbert’s parting words for Tyson were “Good luck sucking at my teat.”

And just for viewing pleasure, Michael Pollan, professor at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, talks food politics with Colbert in 2006 here.