A NEWS CO-OP IN DC SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE

Author

Sam Knight - page 74

Sam Knight has 859 articles published.

Winner of Expensive Senate Race: I Tell TV Journos Their Bosses Also Benefit From Campaign Donors

On the day he was sworn in, the winner of one of the most expensive Senate races in history described money in politics as “unfortunate,” and said he jokes with television journalists about them benefiting from campaign ad donations. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) made the remarks on Tuesday morning, during a taping of C-SPAN’s Washington Journal. “It is unfortunate that these costs continue to increase,” he said. “I have always teased some of the TV news anchors I have been interviewed with, [saying] I hope the… Keep Reading

Miner Deaths Down in 2014; Government Holding Industrialists Accountable, Union Says

A drop in the number of nationwide mining deaths reported Tuesday can be attributed to increased regulatory enforcement, according to an industry labor union. United Mine Workers of America communications director Phil Smith said that the statistics reflect more robust federal oversight since 2010, when an explosion at the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia killed 29 workers. The Mine Safety and Health Administration, he said, “has really stepped up in enforcement of safety and health laws, and that’s demonstrated by these numbers.”… Keep Reading

Syrian Asylum Extended by DHS to Silence, Despite Immigration Bust-up

As Congressional Republicans prepare to use their mandate to combat President Obama’s executive order on immigration, the agency at the heart of the tug-of-war extended a similar policy on Monday to little fanfare. The Department of Homeland Security agreed to extending Syrians’ temporary protected status by 18-months–a move designed to give additional reprieve to victims of a vicious civil war. Syrian nationals first granted the designation in 2012 and 2013 have two months to re-apply for their status, which is now set to expire on… Keep Reading

Despite Recent Criticism of Israelis and Palestinians, Obama Admin Only Lobbies One Faction to Change Course

The Obama administration claimed that the Palestinian Authority and Israel have both taken steps in recent days that have antagonized each other, but on Monday it only publicly said that it has called on one to change tack. State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ application to join the International Criminal Court and Israel’s freezing of PA tax revenue in response both undermined the chances for a lasting peace. But while she said that the administration has lobbied the Palestinian Authority to… Keep Reading

Bernie Sanders Vows Trade Transparency Bill Over TPP Secrecy

Republican leaders and the White House have both made it clear that they hope to pass trade agreements during the 114th Congress. But Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Monday vowed to throw cold water on those ambitions. He claimed that trade negotiations aren’t being conducted with proper oversight or transparency, and promised to introduce legislation that would compel the administration to be more forthcoming about deals it is hammering out. In a letter dated Jan. 5, Sanders asked US Trade Representative Michael Froman for a… Keep Reading

Unlike E.U., U.S. Doesn’t Mildly Rebuke Israel for Jailing Palestinian “Prisoner of Conscience”

On Dec. 8, five days after a Palestinian organizer was sentenced by an Israeli military court to almost ten months in jail, the European Union voiced its disapproval. Murad Shteiwi, a resident of the West Bank town Kufr Qaddum had been called a “prisoner of conscience” by Amnesty International, and European diplomats echoed the distinction. The EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah described Shteiwi as “deeply committed to non-violence.” His prison term, they said, was “intended to prevent him and other Palestinians from exercising their legitimate… Keep Reading

Environmental Regulator Undermines Scientific Integrity, Says Watchdog

An agency that conducts environmental oversight on federally-owned land secretly relaxed standards used in policy-making, according to a non-profit watchdog. The Department of the Interior last week announced changes to its guidelines on scientific integrity without a review or public comment period. According to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility Director Jeff Ruch, the revisions mean that the department’s “use of science will remain politicized” Under the old rules, he told The Sentinel, “managers could be held to account for making alterations to technical documents for… Keep Reading

FTC Sues Data Merchant Accused of Facilitating Theft from Millions

The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on a data broker who allegedly played a central part in the scamming of payday loan applicants. The Arizona-based company LeapLab, bought the short-term high-interest loan applications and knowingly sold them to marketers without a “legitimate need” for them, according to the FTC lawsuit. One of those companies–the target of other FTC litigation–stands accused by the federal agency of using the information to plunder millions of dollars from payday loan applicants. The lawsuit was filed Monday at a… Keep Reading

Weaker Student Outcomes “No More Likely” to Affect Federal College Accreditation

With American students having accumulated over $1 trillion in debt, tuition financing is a hotly debated issue. But even students who are lucky enough to receive taxpayer-funded help might be getting short shrift. In recent years, Department of Education accreditors have been more likely to cite money woes than academic shortcomings as a reason for sanctioning institutions of higher learning, according to a Government Accountability Office report published Monday. The investigation’s authors discovered “that from October 2009 through March 2014, schools with weaker student outcomes… Keep Reading

Japanese Communists Complicate North Korea-Seth Rogen Showdown

The North Korean government on Sunday ratcheted up tensions with the US by praising the Sony Entertainment hack, while threatening retaliation against any American response, despite denying responsibility for the act. But while Washington’s focus is on Kim Jong Un and the Korean Peninsula, news of a potential complication for US long-term strategy quietly broke last week elsewhere in the region. Behind the story–itself buried by idle chatter about Seth Rogen and James Franco’s otherwise forgettable film–are the rise of communists and opposition to the US… Keep Reading

Feds Get Critic of “Arrogant Industry” T-Mobile to Pay $90 Million for Billing Scam

The hiding of illicit charges in byzantine billing documents has forced T-Mobile to enter into a $90 million settlement with the US government. The Federal Trade Commission announced Friday that the mobile phone service provider, which has labored to stake out a consumer-friendly iconoclast image, agreed to pay the fine–the majority of which is slated to finance customer refunds. T-Mobile’s illegal practice, which is known as “cramming,” led to customers paying millions of dollars in fees for ringtones, wallpaper, horoscope texts, flirting tips and celebrity gossip that they… Keep Reading

1 … 72 73 74 75 76 … 79
Go to Top