A NEWS CO-OP IN DC SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE

Monthly archive

September 2016 - page 3

a top secret file

Thanks to Streamlining, the DOJ Generated Fewer “New” Secrets in 2015

by

An internal inspector general gave high marks to the Department of Justice for correcting its classification procedures, and cutting down on the number of secrets it creates. The watchdog described “significant improvements” at the department, which reduced its original classification decisions down to zero in 2015 from 4,455 in 2013, when the IG conducted its first audit. The dramatic drop was primarily a result of DOJ officials having a “better understanding” of the classification process. In its prior 2013 audit, the IG noted that individuals…

Keep Reading

sign advertising low gas prices

White House Boasting After Income Report Downplays Falling Oil Prices

by

President Obama has touted this week’s Census report on poverty and income as evidence that his economic policies are working. “We lifted 3.5 million people out of poverty–the largest one-year drop in the poverty rate since 1968,” he said Tuesday. But the claims obscure an actor who inadvertently helped boost American incomes last year: the Government of Saudi Arabia. The data released by the Census Bureau showed that inflation-adjusted median incomes had increased for the first time since 2007, by an impressive 5.2 percent. This…

Keep Reading

john mccain

McCain Slams Proposal to Separate NSA and Cyber Command, Promises to Scuttle It

by

Reports that the Obama administration is considering cleaving off US Cyber Command from the National Security Agency (NSA) have roiled the Chairman of the Senate Armed Service Committee. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) threatened the White House on Tuesday, saying he would do all he can to block a nominee to head any new agency created by ending the “dual-hat” role of the NSA chief. US Cyber Command, formed in 2009, resides within the NSA, sharing the same networks and resources as the intelligence gathering agency.…

Keep Reading

Sign at the National Labor Relations Board

NLRB Asks Supreme Court to Rule on Class Action Waivers, After Appellate Circuit Split

by

The Supreme Court was asked to settle disputes over the legality of contract terms that bar employees from filing class action lawsuits, in petitions filed by opposing parties. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accounting conglomerate Ernst & Young, and medical software company Epic Systems have all asked Justices to rule on the issue, according to a Politico article published on Monday. Appellate courts have recently issued decisions both in favor and against the NLRB, which is seeking to have class action waivers declared illegal…

Keep Reading

Trump Alleges Yellen Conspiring With Obama to Keep Interest Rates Low

by

Donald Trump hit out at Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, questioning her independence from President Obama and the wisdom of low interest rates. “She’s keeping them [interest rates] artificially low to get Obama retired,” he said on CNBC. “It’s a very serious problem.” “I think she’s very political, and to a certain extent I think she should be ashamed of herself,” he added. “Any increase at all will be a very, very small increase because they want to keep the market up so Obama goes…

Keep Reading

Private Utility Profiteers Outperformed By Publicly-Owned Counterparts

by

A new report by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that municipal utility providers offer better results than their corporate competitors. Power plants owned and operated by city governments experienced on average one outage in 2015, usually lasting up to two hours, according to the study. Those performance indicators outpaced other utility types in 2015. Investor-owned energy producers averaged more than one outage a year. They typically lasted beyond three hours. Cooperatively owned utilities fared the worst, averaging more than two outages a year that…

Keep Reading

D.O.J. Watchdog Finds A.T.F. Relied on Juveniles to Facilitate Illegal Gun Purchases

by

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) ran stings in at least two cities that often relied on teenagers dealing stolen guns, according to the Department of Justice’s Inspector General. The discovery was included in a review of the ATF’s use of undercover storefront operations–establishments masked as retail stores or tattoo parlors, staffed with federal agents looking to gather criminal intelligence and lure illegal activity. At one ATF operation disguised as a clothing store in Wichita, Kan., the DOJ watchdog found that agents relied on…

Keep Reading

President Obama asked about Dakota Access Pipeline in Laos

Obama Claims Ignorance of Details on Dakota Access, When Pressed at Laos Townhall

by

President Obama declined to assess the impact of the Dakota Access Pipeline on Native Americans, when asked, on Wednesday, at a town hall meeting in Laos. The President lauded the young Malaysian woman who brought up the issue, saying she raised “a great question,” but claimed to be unaware of the specifics. “Some of these issues are caught up with laws and treaties, and so I can’t give you details on this particular case,” Obama said. “I’d have to go back to my staff and…

Keep Reading

Russians and Chinese Hacking U.S. “All The Time,” Spy Director Claims

by

The Director of National Intelligence James Clapper informed a spy summit in Washington that US systems are under constant barrage from foreign cyber intruders. The admission comes amid heightened suspicions that Russia was behind high-profile hacks in recent months that targeted political organizations like the Democratic National Committee and statewide electoral systems in Arizona and Illinois. Clapper did not assign Russian culpability to those particular attacks, but spoke broadly on the state of affairs in the cyber realm. “The Russians hack our systems all the…

Keep Reading

U.S. Department of Justice building in Washington, DC

Justice Department Asking Congress for Power to Investigate Possible FARA-Violators

by

Amid a presidential campaign rife with stories about undue foreign influence, the Justice Department is asking Congress to enhance its legal authority to investigate those violating foreign lobbying disclosure laws. The department’s National Security Division “is currently pursuing civil investigative demand (CID) authority from Congress,” according to an inspector general report published Wednesday, specifically to subpoena those believed to be violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). “With regard to potential legislative improvements, NSD officials stated that a major difficulty is a lack of authority to…

Keep Reading

a nuclear ballistic missile

Obama to Stick With “First Strike” Nuclear War Doctrine, Claiming Deterrence Value

by

President Obama will not rule out the possibility of the United States conducting a first nuclear strike, keeping intact a policy that has been in place since the Cold War. The New York Times reported Tuesday that Obama won’t attempt to revise the so-called “First Strike” doctrine before leaving office in January 2017. The paper noted he had faced criticism, including some from “former senior aides,” over unfulfilled campaign and first-term promises, to work towards “a world without nuclear weapons.” “For months, arms control advocates have…

Keep Reading

1 2 3 4
Go to Top