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Sam Knight - page 5

Sam Knight has 859 articles published.

Senate Committee to Advance Criminal Justice Reform Once Opposed by Jeff Sessions

The chances for even modest criminal justice reform during the Trump era might seem remote. But the Senate Judiciary Committee is giving it a try. On Wednesday, the Committee begun consideration of the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, legislation with twenty cosponsors from both parties in the upper chamber. A mark-up vote will be held next week by the committee. In October 2015, the panel advanced the proposal in a 15-5 vote. If enacted, the bill would reduce some mandatory minimum sentences, with retroactive effect,… Keep Reading

Schumer Agrees to Give up Shutdown Fights for Two Years, in Deal that Would Deprive Senate Dems of Power

Senate Democrats look poised to relinquish significant leverage–the threat of withholding government funding–well into the next Congress. Leaders from the Senate Majority and Minority said Wednesday that they agreed to a budget deal that would roll back short-term funding norms spearheaded by Congressional Republicans during the Obama administration. The agreement would eliminate so-called sequestration caps created by the Budget Control Act of 2011. The spending limits were agreed to by Congress after Tea Party Republicans threatened to shutdown the government. The compromise would hike spending… Keep Reading

With Washington Closely Eyeing Stock Prices, SEC Chair Bemoans Staff Shortages

In a Congressional hearing about the emerging cryptocurrency market, the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission said he is most concerned about a conventional problem. Jay Clayton told the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday that the SEC is currently understaffed, lacking the examiners needed to keep tabs on all kinds of markets–both newer and traditional ones. “Personnel is my biggest challenge at the moment,” he said, when questioned by the committee’s vice chair, Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). “I could use more people in enforcement. I… Keep Reading

Yellen’s Last Hurrah: Friday penalties send Wells Fargo stock on Monday morning Nosedive

Wells Fargo stock shed more than 8 percent of its value as investors responded to sanctions imposed by Janet Yellen, in her last act as Chair of the Federal Reserve. The Fed Board of Governors penalized the bank at 6 pm on Friday evening, as Yellen was on her way out the door. On Monday morning at the opening bell, Wells stock dropped to $58.71 per share, after ending last week at $64.07 per share. Fed governors issued the order because of widespread abuses revealed… Keep Reading

FTC Prodded to Investigate Fake Twitter Follower Farms

Leaders of a Senate Commerce Subcommittee are asking federal regulators to probe the market for fake Twitter followers in the wake of a New York Times report. Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) wrote the Federal Trade Commission earlier this week, lobbying Acting Chair Maureen Ohlhausen to investigate Devumi, a US company that “allegedly uses bots to create fake social media accounts.” “This company seems engaged in unfair or deceptive practices, and we urge you to use all the tools at your disposal… Keep Reading

DC Circuit Reverses Decision Stripping CFPB of Autonomy

The second highest court in the country overturned a ruling that would have deprived the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau of independence. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday reversed a decision stating that the CFPB Director could be fired at-will by the President. “Congress validly decided that the CFPB needed a measure of independence and chose a constitutionally acceptable means to protect it,” Judge Cornelia Pillard wrote for a 6-3 majority. One Republican appointee joined all five Democrats presiding over the case to uphold the agency… Keep Reading

Pentagon: Public Can No Longer Know Who Actually Controls Afghanistan

Note: The Pentagon said Tuesday afternoon that the data was classified in error. The story has been updated below. The Trump administration is keeping secret basic information about who actually controls Afghanistan, despite significantly ratcheting up airstrikes in the country. An independent watchdog overseeing the War in Afghanistan said Tuesday that it is now being asked by US military officials to refrain from publishing data about contested territory. “For the first time, this quarter [Operation Resolute Support] restricted the public release of district, population, and land-area… Keep Reading

Sessions Vows to Issue Subpoenas in Immigrant-Demonizing Inquest Against “Sanctuary Cities”

The Justice Department is threatening to force three states and twenty cities to turn over records related to compliance with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Attorney General Jeff Sessions sent letters on Wednesday to officials from California, Oregon, Illinois, New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, among others. Sessions claimed he was seeking the information in the interest of “public safety.” “If these jurisdictions fail to respond to our request, fail to respond completely or fail to respond in a timely manner, we will exercise our… Keep Reading

Pentagon Allowed to Keep Congress in the Dark over Afghan Human Rights Abuses

Military officials are legally sidestepping rules that would otherwise force them to disclose human rights abuses by US allies in Afghanistan to Congress. The so-called Leahy Law prohibits foreign assistance to known abusers of human rights, with numerous exemptions. According to a watchdog report released on Tuesday, top brass overseeing the War in Afghanistan have been repeatedly citing one of those exemptions “that does not require formal Congressional notification.” The Department of Defense “has interpreted this clause to allow the Secretary to ‘forgo implementation of… Keep Reading

Government Set to Reopen for Two Weeks, Schumer Accepts McConnell Promise of Dreamer Bill By Feb. 8

The Senate moved overwhelmingly on early Monday afternoon toward ending a brief government shutdown. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he supported reopening the government, citing a promise by Republican leaders to bring up proposals on granting status to Dreamers. Senators voted 81-18 to limit debate on a continuing resolution that would fund federal agencies for two weeks. The supermajority approval means that the proposal can’t be filibustered. Late Friday, a similar vote failed to advance right before parts of the government ran out of… Keep Reading

Don’t Give the CFPB a Single Dime, Mulvaney Asks Fed, Amid Trojan Horse Assault on Agency

Watchdogs’ worst fears about Mick Mulvaney undermining the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are proving well-founded. The interim CFPB director and top White House aide has asked for no additional money from the Federal Reserve for the next fiscal quarter, according to a Tuesday letter obtained by the conservative Washington Examiner. Since the CFPB opened its doors earlier this decade, it has received on average roughly $500 million per year from the Fed, which oversees agency finances. The funds have been used to win about $2… Keep Reading

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