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Sam Knight

Sam Knight has 859 articles published.

North Korea Summit Canceled by White House; Pompeo Claims Pyongyang Stopped Talking

The United States has pulled out of next month’s bilateral summit with North Korea. President Trump announced the move Thursday, in a public letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. “Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate at this time, to have this long-planned meeting,” said Trump. Last month, Washington and Pyongyang had agreed to meet on June 12 in Singapore. Last week, North Korean officials said they would “reconsider,” citing… Keep Reading

U.S. to Spark Confrontation with Mexico, China over Fentanyl

The Trump administration looks set to spearhead another initiative likely to heighten diplomatic tensions. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the Chinese and Mexican governments of playing a role in fueling the ongoing opioid crisis, saying the two countries will face penalties as a result. The allegations came while Pompeo testified on Wednesday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, during an exchange with Rep. Tom Marino (R-Pa.). “Is there an aggressive plan to punish China and Mexico for flooding into the United States the extremely… Keep Reading

Sanctions for Allies Coming, After Trump Violates Nuclear Deal

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin confirmed that foreign companies who do business in Iran can expect penalties from the Trump administration. Mnuchin made the remarks Tuesday before a Senate appropriations subcommittee, noting that he and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have already warned US allies. “The Iran sanctions will go back in place, both the primary sanctions and the secondary sanctions,” Mnuchin told Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). “And yes we’ve already communicated with our European partners, both through Secretary Pompeo and myself, that we will be… Keep Reading

Supreme Court: Workers Can’t Organize to Sue Their Bosses

The landmark law giving workers the right to organize doesn’t include the right to collectively seek legal redress, the Supreme Court ruled. Justices said employers can force their workers to adjudicate claims on an individual basis through private arbitration, in a 5-4 decision issued on Monday. The dispute was centered around whether the National Labor Relations Act guarantees the right of collective legal action. The conservative majority ruled that it does not; and that workplace contracts mandating individualized private dispute settlement are permitted under the… Keep Reading

C.F.P.B. Payday Loan Rule Likely Spared Wrath of Congressional Review Act

There was rare good news for regulatory safeguards this week: The window closed for Congress to pass legislation repealing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule on payday loans, according to advocates of the initiative. Stop the Debt Trap, a coalition of labor unions and non-profits, said Wednesday evening that the “legislative clock has expired” on efforts to annul the rule under the Congressional Review Act. “Consumer and civil rights advocates are urging the consumer bureau to keep intact the rule, which is set to go… Keep Reading

Senate Explores Ties Between Cambridge Analytica, Ex-Spies from Israel and Russia

Lawmakers on Wednesday questioned the whistleblower at the heart of the Cambridge Analytica 2016 election scandal, probing him about allegations the company engaged in “black ops.” The whistleblower, Christopher Wylie, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he repeated previously-made assertions about the company engaging in questionable activities with Russian and Israeli ex-intelligence operatives. Under questioning from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Wylie said he first learned of these operations from Alexander Nix, the now-former CEO of Cambridge Analytica. Nix was suspended by the company in… Keep Reading

Report: Regulators to tweak Volcker Rule to allow 60-day Wall Street asset flips

Banks look set to be given more freedom by the Trump administration to engage in practices that were previously banned under rules on speculative trading. Regulatory agencies, led by the Federal Reserve, are set to propose scrapping a key assumption about short-term holdings by depository institutions, according to Bloomberg. Assets held by banks for less than 60-days will no longer be presumed to be violation of the Volcker Rule, under the change. The new framework will put “the onus on regulators” to prove banks are… Keep Reading

Schumer Praises Trump Embassy Move, As Israel Massacres Palestinian Demonstrators

The top ranking Democratic lawmaker hailed the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, as the Israeli military gunned down non-violent Palestinian marchers protesting the theft of their land. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) praised the ribbon-cutting on Monday. He said in a statement: “Every nation should have the right to choose its capital.” “I sponsored legislation to do this two decades ago, and I applaud President Trump for doing it,” Schumer said. Palestinians, however, have also claimed Jerusalem as their capital. The international community currently recognizes… Keep Reading

Ajit Pai Schedules June 11 Net Neutrality Reversal Date

The clock is ticking on Net Neutrality. The Federal Communications Commission said Thursday that President Obama’s strengthening of the key internet regulation will expire on June 11. Commissioners had previously voted in December along party lines to roll back the 2015 Net Neutrality rules. “The FCC is on the wrong side of history, the wrong side of the law, and the wrong side of the American people,” said Democratic Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. FCC Chair Ajit Pai remarked that the vote would end “heavy-handed, utility-style regulation”… Keep Reading

Congress Makes it Harder to Punish Discriminatory Auto-Lending

Richard Cordray won the Ohio Democratic gubernatorial primary on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, lawmakers in Washington undermined part of his legacy. The House of Representatives voted 234-175 to approve of a Senate-passed bill annulling guidance issued by Cordray, when he was Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Eleven Democrats joined every Republican but two in approving the measure. The bill now only needs President Trump’s signature before becoming law. The memo, first released by the CFPB in 2013, was crafted to clampdown on… Keep Reading

Sessions Claims “ACLU Effect” Caused Chicago Murder Rate Increase

Attorney General Jeff Sessions blamed critics of heavy-handed policing for a spike in homicides in Chicago two years ago. Sessions claimed Tuesday that the increase in violence was caused by litigation brought by the American Civil Liberties Union in response to “stop-and-frisk” searches by the Chicago Police Department. The Attorney General made the allegations at a law enforcement training conference in Gatlinburg, Tenn., according to prepared remarks released by the Justice Department. He cited recently published research on Chicago violence by two scholars at the… Keep Reading

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