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Sam Knight - page 33

Sam Knight has 859 articles published.

Discontent Index Slides Again in February, Pushed By Lower Transportation Costs

The District Sentinel Discontent Index fell slightly in February, dropping to 97.71 from 98.04 in January. The movement was driven by marginal declines in Consumer Discontent and Housing Discontent. The former was down on lower serious delinquency rates for FHA-backed mortgages, while the latter decreased due to lower transportation costs—a consequence of falling energy prices. Labor Discontent, meanwhile, was only down 0.03 points. Although underemployment and labor force participation were both on the rise in February, increased strike activity kept the Discontent Index subcomponent high. Major… Keep Reading

GOP Senator Tries to Expand Surveillance Powers in Privacy Bill That Passed House 419-0

Senate Republicans are holding up unusually popular email privacy legislation in order to attach a number of proposals to the bill—one of which would expand federal surveillance powers. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday delayed holding a previously-scheduled vote on the ECPA Amendments Act. The proposal passed the House late last month by a 419-0 margin. Currently, federal law enforcement officials only need a subpoena from a judge to gain access to emails that are more than six months old. The ECPA Amendments Act would… Keep Reading

Treasury Doesn’t Rush to Use Cyber Order Issued After North Korea-Sony Affair

The Obama administration last year reported not using expanded cybersecurity powers authorized by the White House, six months after the decree was made. Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew said in October that the department had not designated any “entities or individuals” under the rule. Lew made the declaration in a regular update to Congress reported on Wednesday by Steven Aftergood, a transparency activist and national security researcher with the Federation of American Scientists. President Obama issued Executive Order 13694 on April 1, 2015, in… Keep Reading

C.F.T.C. Slaps Citibank with $425 million in Rate-Rigging Fines

Citibank added $175 million to its LIBOR-fixing legal bills after agreeing to settle charges with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The bank was also fined $250 million by the regulator for manipulating an interest rate indicator called ISDAFix between 2007-2012. The two regularly-published gauges are used to price financial commodities around the world. LIBOR, the London Inter-Bank Offering Rate, is what banks charge each other for short-term loans. It influences the cost of over $300 trillion in financial services. Citibank, in one instance, fudged the… Keep Reading

NLRB Asks Judge to Stop Striking Verizon Workers’ Protests at Scab Hotels

Federal regulators are seeking an injunction to stop striking Verizon workers from demonstrating at New England hotels where replacements are being housed. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is accusing the union members of being noisy and “confrontational” at the premises of various hotels, in an apparent violation of labor laws on secondary boycotts. “The union locals’ ‘confrontational’ and ‘highly disruptive’ picketing has included allegedly shouting to hotel guests that they were staying with ‘scabs’ at bedbug-infested hotels,” according to an NLRB motion filed Monday… Keep Reading

Republican F.E.C. Members Blasted By Colleagues for Stopping Coal Baron Coercion Probe

Three members of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) criticized Republican colleagues for quashing the investigation of an industrialist accused of coercing workers into supporting right-wing causes. The commissioners, two Democrats and an independent, had moved to launch an inquiry of Murray Energy and its CEO, Robert Murray. Their proposal was shot down by their three GOP counterparts in a 3-3 vote. “We voted to find reason to believe in this matter because we owe it to all employees to ensure that the workplace is free… Keep Reading

Obama Unveils End of Vietnam Arms Embargo, Praises T.P.P.

The United States on Monday announced the end of the arms embargo on Vietnam. President Obama said from Hanoi that the decision was made “to complete what has been a lengthy process towards moving toward normalization with Vietnam,” according to The Guardian. The bilateral detente comes amid tension between China and a handful of its neighbors over Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. “At this stage both sides have developed a level of trust and cooperation,” Obama said at a press conference alongside Vietnamese President Tran Dai… Keep Reading

Sixth Amendment Doesn’t Apply to Sentencing Delays, SCOTUS Rules 8-0

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday that the Speedy Trial clause of the Constitution isn’t relevant during the sentencing process. Justices said the Sixth Amendment “does not apply once a defendant has been found guilty at trial or has pleaded guilty to criminal charges.” The case, Betterman v. Montana, was brought by a man who waited 14 months after filing a guilty plea before his punishment was adjudicated. Brandon Betterman had been sentenced to seven years in prison, four suspended. He was found guilty… Keep Reading

US, China Trade Accusations Over Surveillance Plane

The United States and Chinese governments accused one another of aggressive behavior after the Pentagon said Wednesday that two Chinese fighter jets made an “unsafe” interception of an American surveillance craft. Beijing responded to the charge on Thursday, saying its pilots kept a “safe distance” during the incident, which occurred in the South China Sea. It also said the US should stop “close-in reconnaissance activities,” according to The Wall Street Journal. The South China Sea has increasingly become a focal point for geopolitical tensions. China has in… Keep Reading

Dems Defend Payday Lenders as Only Option, But CFPB Shows Many Short-Term Borrowers End Up Losing Their Cars

Opponents of the imminent move toward enhanced regulation of payday lenders claim the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will cut off an important source of credit for low-income Americans. “Put simply when the electricity is cut off, the water is turned off, the car payments are due, and the rent must be paid–poor people cannot go to big banks for a loan,” said Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) in March. But according to a report published early Wednesday morning by the CFPB, many payday loan customers… Keep Reading

Despite Being Repeatedly Ignored, State Dept Gave Egypt Passing Grade on Human Rights for Military Aid

Although the State Department was ignored by the government of Egypt after inquiring about the use of American-made riot gear, US diplomats said the security assistance was in compliance with human rights law. They did the same after Egyptian officials failed to reply to questions about the destination of US-provided night vision goggles—although State knew it was going to the Ministry of Interior; an organization notorious for its repressive elements. And when Egyptian officials failed to disclose to US officials, in a pre-sale check, what military… Keep Reading

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