Former Senator Stevens Killed In Plane Crash

Update: Via Reuters, a spokesperson for the Stevens family confirmed that former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens was among those killed in a plane crash in Alaska. Stevens was 86.

Former Alska Sen. Ted Stevens was among those killed in a plane crash in the state, according to KTUU, an NBC affiliate in Alaska.

The KTUU report cites David Dittman, a former staffer for the Senator and friend of the Stevens family, who says he was told Monday night that the former Senator was killed.

Five people were reportedly killed in the crash, but the identities are not confirmed. Former NASA administrator Sean O’Keefe was on board as well.

Former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens Believed To Be In Possibly Fatal Plane Crash

Update: KTUU, an NBC affiliate in Alaska, is reporting that Ted Stevens was killed in the Dillingham plane crash.

Reuters is reporting that former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens (R) was aboard a plane that crashed in Alaska. It is not yet confirmed whether the Senator is alive, but half of the plane’s passengers were reportedly killed.

Stevens, the 7th longest-serving Senator in U.S. history, lost his seat in 2008 amid an ethics scandal. 

Update:

-Via Reuters, Ex-Nasa Administrator from 2001-2005 Sean O’Keefe was reportedly on board as well.  

In Hand-Delivered Letter, Texas Gov. Asks Obama Administration To Amp Up Border Security

Texas Governor Rick Perry asked the Obama administration to send an additional 1,000 National Guard troops to the state’s souther border, via a letter hand-delivered to Presidential advisor Valerie Jarret Monday.

Wearing a tan suit and cowboy boots, Perry met Obama on the tarmac of Austin’s Bergstrom airport. The two shook hands, and Perry then took a letter from his suit pocket and passed it to Jarrett.

While a far cry from the widely derided hug Obama and Florida governor Charlie Crist shared when Obama visited the Governor’s state in February, Perry reportedly clapped as the President stepped off the plane. According to Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton, it marked the first time a Governor has clapped for the President during a tarmac greeting. 

Obama was en-route to a fundraiser in Dallas for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Citing Radiation Concerns, Republicans Request Full-Body Scanner Review

Three Senate Republicans have sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration asking the government entities to review the health effects incurred by the use of full body scanners at airports.

Issued by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Me.) and signed by fellow GOP Senators Tom Coburn (Okla.) and Richard Burr (N.C.), the letter focuses on concerns surrounding the radiation emitted from the machines and its effects on both passengers at TSA workers.

“We have not seen TSA address the issue of airport and airline personnel who work at the airport and therefore could receive multiple doses of radiation every work day,” the letter states.

Kagan Will Be Sworn In Saturday

Elena Kagan will be sworn in Saturday as an Associate Supreme Court Justice, according to a statement from the Court.

Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath during a private ceremony in the Court’s West Conference room.

Kagan, a former Solicitor General, was confirmed Thursday by the Senate with a 63-37 vote.