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Sam Knight has 859 articles published.

Strike Activity Caused by Ebola Sees November Discontent Index Up

The District Sentinel Discontent Index increased by 1.78 points in November to 110.83, up from a revised 109.06 in October. The increase, however, was driven by a momentary burst in strike activity caused by the response in the US to the Ebola epidemic, indicating the rise will only be temporary. The measure continued to fall on a year-over-year basis–by 7.64 points, from 118.47 in November 2013–reinforcing claims that the economy is, generally, improving. Two out of three components of the index decreased slightly, also exemplifying… Keep Reading

Obama Administration Lenient on Whistleblowers and Leakers, Holder Claims

President Obama has received flak from critics for overseeing the prosecution of more government whistleblowers under the World War I-era Espionage Act than every other administration combined, but according to his top law enforcement official, the Justice Department has been lenient on leaks. Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday defended his agency’s record on unauthorized disclosures, saying that it could have pursued more whistleblowers than it has. “We have tried to be appropriately sensitive in bringing those cases that warranted prosecution,” he said. “We have… Keep Reading

In Last Gasp Attempt to Shake Corrupt Reputation, Holder Gives Prosecutors 90 Days to File Wall Street Collapse Charges

Attorney General Eric Holder has given the Justice Department an opportunity to rewrite his legacy as the lead federal prosecutor who refused to take on some of the most notoriously larcenous bankers in history. Holder said Tuesday that he has given his underlings three months to determine whether they can secure indictments against bankers who are widely believed to have committed fraud while issuing, packaging, marketing and selling the residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS) that caused last decade’s multi-trillion dollar global financial meltdown. “I don’t know… Keep Reading

Attacks on Islamic State Oil Fields Continue, Even Though Militants Making Less on Energy Sales

US-led airstrikes are continuing against Islamic State-controlled oil fields in Syria, not long after the Pentagon said hydrocarbons were no longer the fundamentalist militant group’s most significant source of financing. The American-led coalition earlier this week attacked and destroyed “multiple ISIL oil pumps” near Dayr az Zawr, according to a Department of Defense press release issued Monday. The operations demonstrate that the US is continuing to employ a risky tactic in Syria that it was reportedly reluctant to use after initially launching military operations last September against the… Keep Reading

House Passes Grover Norquist-Supported Tax Bill That Adds $77 Billion to Deficit

The House on Friday passed a bill that would cut taxes for businesses and increase the annual deficit by $77 billion over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Despite their constant hand-wringing about the national debt, the legislation was carried by Republicans in a 272-142 vote split almost entirely along party lines. Thirty-three democrats voted for the measure, and one Republican, Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) voted against it. The bill would permanently increase business investment deductions to $500,000 from $25,000. “That change would… Keep Reading

Report: Despite Obama’s Claims About Afghanistan, U.S. Forces Still Fighting “In The Shadows”

American ground forces have engaged in a flurry of activity in Afghanistan since October, The New York Times reported Thursday, in a “spike in raids” that clashes with how the Obama administration is characterizing ongoing US operations in the country. US troops were “playing direct combat roles” in the missions, despite the Obama administration’s claims that American troops would, at the start of this year, only be supporting their Afghan allies. “It’s all in the shadows now,” one former Afghan official who still advises Kabul’s… Keep Reading

Bipartisan Group in Senate Takes Farm Approach to Ending Cuba Embargo — How Long Will McConnell Hold Out?

Members of both the majority and the minority in the Senate took a step toward affirming President Obama’s decision to normalize relations with Cuba. A bill that would lift the half century-old trade embargo on Cuba was introduced Thursday by Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). Coming on the heels of a bill with bipartisan support introduced by Flake late last month to lift restrictions on US citizens’ travel to Cuba,… Keep Reading

Fearmonger’s Delight: Top U.S. Commander in Afghanistan Downplays Islamic State Reports

The leading commander of US forces in Afghanistan downplayed reports that the Islamic State is gaining a foothold there. Gen. John Campbell told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that American military officials are watching for “the potential emergence” of the militant group, but said stories that it has already spread to Afghanistan lack significance. “Thus far, we have seen some evidence of limited recruiting efforts, and a few Taliban have rebranded themselves as ISIL,” he said, using one of many names for group. “This… Keep Reading

No Boon To Anti-War Libertarian-Progressive Alliance: “Freedom Caucus” Appoints Reliable Militarist as Leader

A group of Republican legislators made waves last month when they announced the formation of the House Freedom Caucus–a conservative group created to take on “sacred cows” and “special interests,” as founding member Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) explained. But if progressives were hoping that the right-wing caucus would bolster a lefty-libertarian coalition against the Washington Consensus on national security issues, as Labrador intoned it could, the group’s first chair should give them pause. This week, it was revealed that Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), would lead… Keep Reading

Congress to Prod Retroactive ISIS War Authorization, Endless War on Terror Concerns Remain

Five months after launching military operations against the Islamic State, the White House has finally submitted draft legislation to Congress to approve of the mission. But despite the seeming futility of the exercise, lawmakers aren’t keen on rubberstamping the initiative. Legislators have expressed doubt, in particular, about the administration’s language on ground troops and the bill’s lack of a repeal for prior legislation that the administration has used to justify the ongoing war. “I have serious concerns about the breadth and ambiguity of this proposal,”… Keep Reading

Strike Activity Down For Second Consecutive Year, Work Stoppages At Lowest Point In Four Years

Major strike activity in the US was at its lowest level last year since 2010, according to data released Wednesday by the Labor Department. The Bureau of Labor Statistics report found that “major work stoppages”–strikes involving 1,000 or more workers–fell, and the impact of those actions dropped by all measures on an annual basis for the second consecutive year. There were 11 major work stoppages recorded by BLS in 2014–down from 15 the year before and 11 in 2010. Last year’s strikes involved roughly 34,000 employees… Keep Reading

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