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Sam Knight - page 67

Sam Knight has 859 articles published.

Attorney General Nomination Marked Up in Rule of Law-focused Hearing That Ignores Wall Street Crimes

Loretta Lynch’s nomination to become next attorney general on Thursday passed out of committee with nary a peep about her decision to not prosecute Wall Street criminality, as Republicans opposing her attempted to open a second front in their proxy war over President Obama’s executive order on immigration. Lynch was approved by a 12-8 vote, with Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) joining their Democratic counterparts on the Senate Judiciary Committee to carry the Brooklyn US Attorney’s nomination to the… Keep Reading

In Iran Talks, Obama Admin Considers Accusations by Regime Change-Linked M.E.K.

Allegations made by a controversial group that has been used by hawkish Americans to push for regime change in Iran are figuring in US diplomats’ ongoing nuclear negotiations with Tehran. The accusations, leveled by the Mujahhedin-e-Khalq (MEK), about a “secret nuclear facility” in Iran are being considered by the Obama administration during the multilateral nuclear talks with the Islamic Republic and all five permanent members of the UN Security Council. “On this secret facility, we’re well aware of the allegations regarding that facility,” Secretary of State John… Keep Reading

Elizabeth Warren Ups Feud With Top Fed Lawyer, Questions If He Helped Knife Dodd-Frank

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Tuesday publicly aired her concerns about the Federal Reserve’s top lawyer, questioning whether he effectively helped Congress kill a key provision of financial reform. Warren said that Fed General Counsel Scott Alvarez’s public disparagement of rules that would have segregated publicly-insured consumer savings from big banks’ derivatives trading indicate he encouraged the central bank to delay the rule’s implementation. The regulation was repealed by Congress late last year before it could take effect next year, as the Fed had previously… Keep Reading

Yellen Says Outsourcing Keeping Down Wages, But Opposes Currency Tinkering Rules in TPP

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen waded into a debate over the fairness of trade agreements on Tuesday, saying that outsourcing has caused wages to stagnate, while simultaneously opposing proposals to remedy other countries’ allegedly ill-gotten advantages through currency manipulation rules attached to future deals. Any attempt to address currency manipulation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership could “hamper or even hobble monetary policy,” Yellen said in response to questions before the Senate Banking Committee. “We should be on guard against currency manipulation,” Yellen said after being asked about the… Keep Reading

Republican Lawmaker Hated By Israel Lobby Won’t Attend Netanyahu Speech, “But It’s Not to Protest”

A Republican lawmaker who has been a thorn in the side of the Israel lobby said Tuesday that he will not be attending Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress next month, but claimed that his decision to skip the controversial address is not political. “I will not go, but it’s not to protest,” Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) said on CSPAN’s Washington Journal. Jones, one of a handful of House Republicans who looks askance at his party’s enthusiasm for overseas military adventurism, said that he isn’t singling… Keep Reading

Progressive Groups Rallying to Block Disability Cuts Likely to Advance in House and Senate

Progressive groups are calling on supporters to defend disability benefits, as legislation that would roll back the welfare state looks likely to advance in both the House and Senate. The Coalition on Human Needs on Monday urged like-minded organizations to throw their weight behind a Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities lobbying campaign (CCD) after two bills aimed at tightening the screws on recipients of both Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and unemployment insurance were introduced on the same day earlier this month. The initiatives, which were… Keep Reading

Dems Cheer Arquette, Greet Snowden Doc Oscar With Twitter Wall of Silence

Like many people all around the world, politicians took to Twitter to broadcast their thoughts about the Oscars, as Hollywood gathered on Sunday night to honor its brightest stars. Although the film industry has no shortage of conservative elements, Democrats, in particular, were active and open about their interest in the gala. Their party, after all, is the primary beneficiary of Hollywood’s largesse. So it came as little surprise that when Patricia Arquette–during her Best Actress award acceptance speech–sounded off on the gender pay gap,… Keep Reading

Elizabeth Warren, Elijah Cummings Press Banking Regulator on Conflict of Interest

A high-ranking banking regulator was asked Friday by a pair of Democrats to answer questions about an alleged conflict of interest. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and ranking member of the House Oversight Committee Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) demanded that Commodities Futures Trading Commission official J. Christopher Giancarlo be forthright about a transaction he conducted in September, months after being confirmed to his position. The pair of lawmakers queried Giancarlo about why he rapidly sold stock in GFI Group, Inc.–a financial services company he had previously worked… Keep Reading

“Unseemly” Fed Officials “Running Scared,” As Rand Eyes Audit Rider to Must-Pass Bills

Federal Reserve officials are attempting to convince senators to oppose legislation that would expose the central bank to a rigorous audit, as the driving force behind the bill, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), considers pinning it to essential votes. Critics are charging that the Fed’s lobbying effort demonstrates a fear of transparency. It was called “unseemly” and “surprising” late this week by Vern McKinley, an attorney and central banking specialist, who told The Hill that “it almost seems like they’re running scared.” Brian Darling, an aide to… Keep Reading

Senator Tweets Praise For U.S. Support of Repressive Police Force In Central America

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) took to Twitter on Thursday to boast about Washington’s support for forces accused of committing some of the worst human rights abuses in the Western Hemisphere. The Senate Majority Whip posted a photo of law enforcement officials in Honduras on the social media network, with the caption: “Random checkpoint w Honduran police (w US support) looking for weapons, drugs and migrants.” As The Sentinel has noted, Honduran police officers are routinely accused of violating civil rights in a pattern of behavior… Keep Reading

Leading Progressive Lawmaker Warns Treasury Ban on Remittances to Somalia Will Fuel Anti-U.S. Militancy

Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-chair Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) warned the White House that it risks fanning the flames of anti-American militancy by cutting off remittances to Somalia. The first Muslim lawmaker in Washington told a White House summit on countering violent extremism that, by enacting the policy, the administration is playing into the hands of terrorist groups. “The violent extremist makes the case that America is at war with Islam and Muslims, and we have to assert that this is not true; not just in… Keep Reading

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