Spy agency says that it has nothing to hide

The CIA was under fire for destroying videotaped interrogations of two suspected terrorists. “I welcome this inquiry and the CIA will cooperate fully,” CIA Director Mike Hayden said. He said the recordings were destroyed out of fear the tapes would leak and reveal the identities of interrogators. Angry congressional Democrats had demanded the Justice Department investigate. Some accused the CIA of a cover-up.

The 210 take: Just as troubling, the CIA's TiVo erased their unwatched “Grey's Anatomy” episode.

New report on Iran's nukes says, ‘Oopsie'

President Bush said that Iran remains a danger and refused to rule out a military attack, despite a U.S. intelligence report saying the country halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003. The latest National Intelligence Estimate, which reflects the analysis of 16 U.S. spy agencies, reverses an earlier stance on Iran's weapons program. The White House said the report would not affect conditions for opening negotiations with Iran.
 
The 210 take: It's good to see Bush isn't letting intelligence affect his actions.

E-N columnist retires; News Nuggets eyes job

Longtime San Antonio Express-News columnist Roddy Stinson announced that he's retiring Dec. 30. His growling reports on city leaders, his advocacy for the little guy and his penchant for digging up unreported boondoggles earned him the nickname the “Yard Dog” as he cranked out more than 8,000 columns since 1974.

The 210 take: That's 56,000 in dog columns.
 

Students at UT schools learn to multiply by .05

In a surprise move, the University of Texas System Board of Regents is limiting tuition increases at its nine campuses for the next two school years. The regents capped tuition and fee increases at 5 percent or $150 per semester, whichever is higher. Much of the latest furor came over proposed increases of more than $300 a semester at UT Austin.

The 210 take: Administrators fear that without the tuition increases, their ivory tower academics might become dingy, grayish tower academics.

The gloves come off in I-35 strip club fight

A fight that broke out at an East Side strip club — apparently over a song — sent two men to the hospital, according to police. Witnesses said the argument started over the DJ's selection and ended with the two men stabbed and bleeding.

The 210 take: Sure, a bloody strip-club brawl sounds hardcore until you realize they were fighting over whether the DJ should play the Jonas Brothers' “S.O.S.” or the more old-school Hanson “Mmm Bop.”

From staff and wire reports