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Sam Knight - page 30

Sam Knight has 859 articles published.

Eric Holder Ignored Internal Calls to Prosecute HSBC for Money Laundering

Federal prosecutors reportedly sought a guilty plea from HSBC in 2012, after the bank was caught laundering money and helping governments bust US sanctions, but the initiative was ignored by top Justice Department officials. The allegation was made earlier this week in a report compiled by Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee. The probe alleges that DOJ officials backed off any move to prosecute the London-based bank after pressure from the British government. In December 2012, the Justice Department and HSBC reached a $1.9… Keep Reading

With Congress Weighing TPP, Top Dem Asks State for Updates on Malaysian Slave Labor, Mass Grave Investigation

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) requested regular updates from the State Department on the Malaysian government’s inquiry into last year’s discovery of mass graves on its soil. Cardin asked for routine reports on the aftermath of the findings in a Senate committee hearing on Tuesday, after noting Congress is considering closer economic ties with Malaysia—via the Trans Pacific Partnership. The tombs, which were found in May 2015 along the Malaysian-Thailand border, contained 139 migrant slave laborers. “I would just make a request–that because of the sensitivity of Malaysia, and… Keep Reading

Netflix and Jail? Federal Appeals Court Says Password Sharing is Forbidden by CFAA

A federal appellate court in San Francisco last week ruled that password sharing can be illegal, in a case that could have a chilling effect on access to content-streaming sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBOGO and others. The circuit said in a 2-1 ruling that David Nosal violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) when he accessed proprietary data owned by his former employer. While the court concluded that the ruling shouldn’t be read too broadly—because, it held, Nosal was stealing trade secrets—it did… Keep Reading

Grassley: Pentagon Likely to Miss Long-Anticipated Transparency Deadline Due to “Same Old Garbage” Accounting

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) accused the Department of Defense of continuing to neglect proper accounting techniques, casting further doubt on whether the agency will pass a long-awaited oversight test next fall. Grassley questioned if Pentagon Chief Financial Officer Mike McCord has “a handle on the core problem,” which he described as a lack of accurate information. “If [McCord] did, why would he continue throwing money at solutions that don’t produce what is needed most, and that is reliable transaction data?” Grassley asked Thursday, in a… Keep Reading

Senate Advances GM Food Labeling Bill That Would Actually Weaken State Rules, Exempt Key Products

Legislation that would upend state laws mandating labels for genetically modified (GM) foods passed a key procedural vote in the Senate. The bill, which would create a nationwide system for identifying some GM foods, cleared a motion to end debate on Wednesday, by a 65-32 vote. A simple majority is now needed for the legislation to pass a full Senate vote, which is expected before the week is over. Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, and Alaska have all passed legislation in recent years forcing companies to overtly… Keep Reading

Rep. Richmond Calls on DOJ to Investigate Alton Sterling Killing

A congressman is calling on the Justice Department to investigate the fatal shooting by Baton Rouge, La. police of a black man who was on the ground, in the process of being arrested. Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) made the request, after a video of the slaying went viral Tuesday night, sparking outrage on social media and protests in Baton Rouge. Alton Sterling, 37, was killed by two cops early Tuesday morning, after they were called to a convenience store, having received an anonymous report about… Keep Reading

Annual Human Trafficking Report Released to Little Commotion, Year After Malaysia-TPP Manipulation Scandal

The State Department on Thursday released an influential but embattled annual paper on human trafficking. The Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report this year has thus far brought fewer points of contention than it eventually did in 2015. Notable changes in the latest report include an upgrade for Thailand and a downgrade for Myanmar. Thailand was moved to “tier 2” after its government promised to reform laws and crack down on forced labor in the seafood industry. Myanmar was moved to “tier 3” because of its… Keep Reading

Senate Approves of Puerto Rico Debt Technocracy Bill

Legislation that would allow the government of Puerto Rico to restructure its debt cleared the final major hurdle before a critical deadline later this week. The bill passed a cloture motion in the Senate on Wednesday, by a 68-32 vote. The maneuver means the legislation, now, can not be delayed indefinitely. Though most Democrats voted for it, some blasted the legislation for creating an unelected board to oversee public finances on the island—a development that will likely encourage harsh austerity measures, with technocrats unaccountable to… Keep Reading

US-Backed March on ISIL Strongholds Could Soon Begin

A top official leading the US war against the Islamic State (ISIL) said efforts to seize the fundamentalist group’s de facto capital is gaining momentum. Brett McGurk, the special US envoy to the counter-ISIL coalition, claimed on Tuesday that the ongoing assault on Manbij, in Northeastern Syria, bodes well for the campaign. McGurk said the US-backed forces will orient themselves afterward toward Raqqa, ISIL’s main stronghold, if successful. He also noted that the forces are primarily composed of Syrian Arabs, with only a minority of… Keep Reading

No Do-Over for Friedrichs–Supreme Court Won’t Hear Attack on Labor Unions Again

The Supreme Court rejected a request to reconsider a pro-labor decision it made earlier this year. Justices on Tuesday denied a petition for rehearing in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. In March, the court failed to rule in favor of the plaintiff, who had been challenging mandatory “agency fee” rules. The regulations force public sector workers in California to help finance collective bargaining, even if they aren’t union members. More than twenty states have similar laws, to prevent non-union workers from reaping the benefits of… Keep Reading

Texas Abortion Law Fails SCOTUS Test

The Supreme Court decided in a 5-3 vote on Monday to strike down a Texas law that imposed strict regulations on abortion clinics. Justice Breyer, writing for the majority, said the 2013 legislation, HB2, violated the Bill of Rights by failing the “undue burden” test. The precedent had been delivered in an opinion written in 1992 by Justice Anthony Kennedy. Kennedy, a Reagan-appointee, again voted on Monday to uphold access to abortion. The other conservative justices on the bench dissented in unison. “We conclude that neither of… Keep Reading

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