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Sam Knight - page 71

Sam Knight has 859 articles published.

More Than 16 Million Kids on Food Stamps — Rate Reaches Post-Recession High

The number of children on food stamps in 2014 edged up by almost half a million to the highest number it has been since the Wall Street collapse of 2008. According to US Census Bureau data released Wednesday, the quantity of kids receiving food stamps last year breached the 16 million threshold for the first time since the government agency started publishing the statistic in 2007. The numbers show that the rate of Americans under the age of 18 receiving food stamps was at 21.7%–also… Keep Reading

Obama Admin. Looking To Weaken Regulators for Banks In Last Gasp TPP Anti-localization Push

Although negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership have been secretive, a Senate Finance Committee hearing Tuesday shed light on the extent to which it could hamstring regulators. US Trade Representative Michael Froman told committee chair Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) that the Obama administration is pushing for “protection against data localization requirements.” The issue, which Hatch brought up specifically with respect to the financial services industry, could hinder governments’ ability to enforce rules, critics fear, though Froman said the USTR is proposing it to obviate the need for “the… Keep Reading

Obama-GOP Trade Alliance Might Not Overcome Dem Filibuster

Despite support from congressional conservatives, the Obama administration might not get the votes it needs to advance the Trans Pacific Partnership through the Senate. Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee mostly voiced their skepticism over the secretly-negotiated trade deal, while their opponents across the aisle served up rare praise for the White House on Tuesday at a hearing. The split could leave President Obama without the mandate he needs for the Senate to invoke cloture on a key precursor to the deal–a move that would… Keep Reading

In Shift, Republicans Take Income Inequality Seriously–Or Try To, At Least

Democrats’ message on income inequality appears to have rattled Republicans, as the party clumsily attempts to buck its history by addressing the issue. After decades of saying that it doesn’t matter–that “trickle-down” economics aren’t bogus, and that relative wealth has no affect on absolute poverty–conservatives are changing their tone on equality of outcome. In the wake of President Obama’s State of the Union speech last week bemoaning widespread income stagnation amid a strengthening economy, Republican lawmakers are actually talking about the gap between the richest and… Keep Reading

Senate to Get Ball Rolling on Dem-backed Fracking Industry Help

Congress will embark next week on helping the fracking industry win a drawn out-battle when the Senate holds a hearing on legislation that would relax export restrictions on liquid natural gas (LNG). The Senate Energy Committee is set to discuss a bill that would force the Secretary of Energy to make final decisions on LNG export permits 45 days after environmental reviews are concluded. Introduced by committee Republican member John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and co-sponsored by three other Republicans and four Democrats–including two opponents of the… Keep Reading

Union Workers Earn More, See Higher Wage Growth in 2014

Union members continued to make more money and saw stronger wage growth than non-union counterparts last year, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But despite earning employees larger compensation and seeing their ranks grow, unions represented a smaller percentage of the workforce in 2014. Median weekly earnings of union members and workers represented by unions increased by $20 and $21 respectively, to $970 and $965. Non-union workers, meanwhile, only saw median weekly wages increase by $13, to $763. The total… Keep Reading

Reactionary Abortion Restrictions — The Latest In GOP Economic Elitism

After a State of the Union laden with both paeans to the recovery and appeals from the left to save the still-struggling middle class, one might think that the last thing Republicans would want to do is resurrect the Todd Akin wing of the party. Last November, their demagoguery about being obsessed with job creation seemed to work well enough for them–even if it relied heavily on low turnout. But January is a strange and disturbing month for women’s rights in Washington. Every year, on… Keep Reading

Wells Fargo Slapped With $24 Million CFPB Fine After “Multiple Warnings” Over Illegal Marketing Scheme

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is asking a federal judge to approve of a $24 million penalty against Wells Fargo for participating in a kick-back scheme. The arrangement between Wells Fargo and a now-defunct mortgage servicing company allegedly went on between 2009 and 2013, despite “multiple warnings of the illegal arrangements,” according to a civil complaint filed at a Baltimore District Court on Thursday by the CFPB. The two companies, the complaint stated, exploited “a hot mortgage refinancing market and very low interest rates” to… Keep Reading

Shrugging Off Prior Concerns, US Claims 200 Syrian Oil Wells Have Been Targeted in Islamic State Fight

Flirting with possible environmental catastrophe and long-term blowback, the US military appears to have shrugged off an initial reticence to strike Syrian oil fields in its war against the Islamic State. A senior State Department official said Wednesday that American forces have hit 200 oil wells in airstrikes since the campaign started last August. The envoy, whose identity was withheld by the Obama administration, made the comment during a teleconference with journalists ahead of an anti-Islamic State coalition meeting in London. A transcript of the… Keep Reading

In 7-2 Ruling, Supreme Court Says Exemptions to Whistleblower Protection Act Determined Only By Congress

The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that only Congress has determined what information is exempt from disclosure under the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA). The high court decided in a 7-2 vote that Transportation Security Administration rules about “sensitive security information” did not trump the WPA protections claimed by a former air marshal, fired for revealing details about post-9/11 flight security plans. Chief Justice John Roberts argued in the majority opinion that the relevant WPA provision on exemptions specifically singles out statutes, while others are more broad. “Congress’s… Keep Reading

Obama Admin Confirms It Won’t Let Congress Vote On Iran Deal

The Obama administration reaffirmed Wednesday that it doesn’t need Congressional approval for a nuclear deal with Iran. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Congress voting down the diplomatic initiative would sap presidential authority, and that even the possibility of a vote could call into question the sincerity of US negotiators. “There’s a concern that this could set a precedent for future executive branch action,” Blinken said at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. “The knowledge that there would be, very early on, this kind of vote,… Keep Reading

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