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June 2016 - page 4

SCOTUS Rules that Puerto Rico Can’t Restructure $20 Billion In Municipal Debt, Unlike State Governments

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The Supreme Court said on Monday that Puerto Rico lacks the authority to restructure its municipal debt. Justices ruled 5-2 that a law passed in 2014 by the territory is preempted by the federal bankruptcy code. The legislation had sought to modify debt held by the island’s municipal utilities—believed to be worth about $20 billion. As Clarence Thomas noted in the majority opinion, Congress in 1984 specifically excluded Puerto Rico from the federal bankruptcy code. The court said parts of the Puerto Rican law being…

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Report: Citing Election Year, White House Giving Up on Closing Gitmo

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President Obama will reportedly not act on his own to close the military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, instead submitting to the whims of a Congress committed to keeping the facility open indefinitely. A source close to the deliberations told Reuters that the administration has ruled out unilateral action on Gitmo due to a lack of popular support and the hyper-politicized season. “It was just deemed too difficult to get through all of the hurdles that they would need to get through, and the level…

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Labor Dept. Seeks to Protect Union-Busting Rule from Red State Onslaught

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The Obama administration is asking a federal judge to throw out a challenge brought by ten states against a new labor regulation that will force union busters out of the shadows. Finalized in April by the Department of Labor, the “Persuader Rule” is under assault in federal court, where several Republican-led states, are seeking an injunction against it. According to a brief filed last week, the department argued that the state interveners claims should be rejected, and the regulation preserved. “The public interest would be undermined if…

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SCOTUS: Top Pa. Judge, Also Former Prosecutor On Death Penalty Case, Violated Constitution By Ruling on Appeal

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The Supreme Court found that a judge previously involved in a capital case as a prosecutor should have recused himself during an appeal launched by the death row inmate. Justices ruled Thursday, in a 5-3 vote, that then-Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald Castille violated the Due Process rights of Terrence Williams in 2012, when the jurist declined to withdraw from Williams’ challenge of his conviction. His death sentence was upheld by the state’s high court. “A constitutionally intolerable probability of bias exists when the…

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Hugely Popular Email Privacy Measures Derailed Again in Senate

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For the second time in two weeks, legislation to update a thirty-year old digital privacy law was yanked from consideration by a Senate panel—a sign that the bill, which passed the House 419-0, is dead in the upper chamber. The ECPA Amendments Act was slated to be marked up and voted on in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, but its co-sponsors withdraw the measure after fellow senators continued efforts to weigh it down with controversial amendments. ECPA refers to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act—a…

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Clapper: Spies Can Use Whatever Bathrooms They Damn Well Please

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The head of the US intelligence community waded into the very public culture war being waged over the LGBT rights. According to a press release issued Wednesday, the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told a conference of spies that they “have the chance to lead by example” on transgender issues. “So I’ll say without equivocation…in [intelligence community] facilities…you can use whatever restroom you feel comfortable and safe in,” Clapper said. He made the speech at the Fifth Annual Intelligence Community Pride Summit. The ceremonies applaud “officers for sharing their…

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Social Security Trustees Spark Fight, As Dems Decry Koch Bros. Ties to GOP Nominee

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Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday voted against the White House’s move to reappoint two Social Security Trustees. Lawmakers cited three decades of precedent and one nominee’s ties to think-tanks and his views on downsizing crucial welfare benefits. Republicans approved of the nominations—one from each party—in two separate votes, split 14-12 strictly along partisan lines. “As has been the case, I’m supporting the President on both these nominees,” a bemused committee chair, Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), noted at the conclusion of the meeting. “These…

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Clinton Takes California, Declares Herself Nominee; Sanders Eyes D.C.

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The biggest prize of the Democratic primary contest was awarded on Tuesday, with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claiming victory in California and the majority of pledged delegates in all 50 states. With 94 percent of the votes counted in the Golden State, Clinton was leading Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) 56-43 percent. Combined with her victories in New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota on the night, Clinton’s pledged delegate count ballooned to 2,168. She’s still shy of the 2,383 delegates, both pledged and superdelegates…

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While Considering New Spy Watchdog, Dems Lament Lack of Oversight at CIA

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Democratic Senators lodged complaints with the Obama Administration on Tuesday for not nominating a new inspector general to keep watch over the Central Intelligence Agency. Addressing the Senate Intelligence Committee during a hearing to consider Susan Gibson, the president’s nominee to head the IG desk at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) hit out at watchdog vacancies throughout the intelligence community. “This month,” Feinstein noted in prepared remarks, “the NSA inspector general will be stepping down and the CIA has been without a Senate-confirmed…

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Elizabeth Warren: Top House GOPer “Sprinting Toward Trump Towers” With Dodd-Frank Repeal

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The highest ranking Congressman overseeing banking regulation met with Donald Trump in New York on Tuesday, after unveiling a plan to repeal much of Dodd-Frank. House Financial Services Committee Chair Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) declined to go into the gritty details when asked about the meeting on Fox Business Channel. He said Trump “well-received the message” and is “interested in the policy.” “I’m not going to go into the blow-by-blow,” he said. Hensarling, who endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in the primary and is backing Trump…

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House Dems Blast Drug War-Boosting Bill Signed into Law Last Month By Obama

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A group of House Democrats blasted legislation signed into law last month by President Obama, saying it will expand Drug War-style punishments for low-level criminals. The lawmakers criticized the measure for exposing more people to mandatory minimum sentences, while “lowering the intent requirement” needed to prove a defendant conspired to import drugs into the United States. Before the Transnational Drug Trafficking Act of 2015 (TDTA) was signed into law, prosecutors had to demonstrate that the accused knew the drugs were destined for the US. “We…

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