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Sam Knight - page 77

Sam Knight has 859 articles published.

GOP Subcommittee Members Don’t Show For Senate Campus Rape Hearing

In the wake of a controversial Rolling Stone report published last month on rape at the University of Virginia, a Senate judiciary subcommittee held a hearing on the role of law enforcement in sexual assault cases on college campuses. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s ranking Republican Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa.) made an opening statement for the GOP contingent, pointing out his co-sponsorship of legislation on the matter. “I don’t understand the sensitivities that universities have about rape on campus,” he said. “It’s high time to make sure a crime… Keep Reading

Jobseeker to Vacancy Ratio at Almost Seven Year Low

Improving long-term labor market conditions could see workers with a greater bargaining chip at the negotiating table, according to data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ratio of unemployed workers per job opening fell to about 2 in October–down from 3.1 on a year-over-year basis and a post-recession high of 7.7 in October 2009. The measure also fell on a monthly basis by 0.2, from 2.2 in September. The number of job-seekers per vacancy has not been this low since Jan. 2008,… Keep Reading

Warnings About Torture Report Violence Take Heat Off CIA Criminals

The release of more information about the Bush administration’s CIA torture program is imminent. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest announced Monday that an unclassified version of the Senate intelligence committee’s report on the regime will be published on Tuesday. But the educational value of Tuesday’s release depends on redactions. If marker-happy staffers and lawyers have their way, Americans might be left with more questions than answers. It appears that scenario will be likely–the summary is said to contain a mere eight percent of the… Keep Reading

Rockefeller Obtains Concessions, Releases Hold on FOIA Bill

The Senate passed legislation Monday evening that would narrow Freedom of Information Act exemptions. The FOIA Improvement Act, which had been approved unanimously by the Senate Judiciary Committee, had been held up by commerce committee chair Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.). A statement released by the commerce committee noted that Sen. Rockefeller obtained concessions from the bill’s supporters before releasing his hold on it. The language of the proposal was amended to establish “Congressional intent that courts should take into consideration the concerns of agencies when… Keep Reading

Ash Carter Didn’t “Know Much About Iran” While Approving Hawkish Report

President Obama’s choice to succeed Chuck Hagel as Defense Secretary said he lacked knowledge about Iran the same month he approved of a hawkish report on the country’s nuclear program. Ashton Carter made the remarks in September 2008 while speaking on a panel at the Progressive Policy Institute in Washington. At the time, he was co-director for Harvard University’s Preventative Defense Project, and a member of a Bipartisan Policy Center task force on “US policy toward Iranian Nuclear Development.” “I don’t tend to know much… Keep Reading

Record Suffering In Afghanistan, Despite State Department Praise

Contradicting rosy statements made this week by the State Department, a Gallup poll released Friday showed that Afghanistan is wallowing in misery like few countries have this millennium. The research firm reported that 61 percent of Afghans consider themselves to be “suffering”–a number that is up from 23 percent in 2010, and the highest level of national misery measured by Gallup since it launched the poll in 2005. A worsening economy appeared to be a major factor behind the deterioration. The proportion of Afghans that… Keep Reading

Obama Police Task Force Co-Chair Dampens Reformers’ Expectations

The co-chair of President Obama’s policing reforms panel on Friday sought to rein in expectations about the initiative’s potential impact. Philadelphia Police Chief Charles Ramsey pointed out that the task force only has three months, “which isn’t a whole lot of time,” and warned that tangible change might not even result from the report. “The easy part is writing the recommendations,” he said on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal. “The hard part is implementing something.” Ramsey also intoned that the panel was formed, in part, as part of… Keep Reading

Unemployment Steady, Austerity Holding Back Labor Market

While the unemployment rate held steady at 5.8 percent in November, austerity measures appear to be holding back the labor market recovery, according to a pair of government reports. The employment report published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 321,000 jobs were added to payrolls in November. However, for the second straight month, the public sector increased payrolls by only 7,000 jobs–down from 22,000 in September. A separate analysis by the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the deficit was reduced in October and November… Keep Reading

In 90 Seconds, Sen. Paul Squanders Post-Ferguson Goodwill With Post-Racial Snake Oil

When unrest broke out in Ferguson, Mo. in August, after municipal police officer Darren Wilson repeatedly shot and killed an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) staked out ground that made Democrats nervous. Unlike many of his colleagues, Sen. Paul stuck his neck out to denounce police abuses and a system of law enforcement that unjustly punishes and brutalizes those it deems to have the wrong color skin. “Anyone who thinks that race does not still, even if inadvertently, skew the application… Keep Reading

Millennials More Likely Than Young Baby Boomers to Have Degrees, Language Skills, Money Problems

Young American adults are more educated, multilingual, and diverse today than three decades ago, according to the results of a Census Bureau study published Thursday. And they’re more likely to be destitute. About one in five young adults, or 13.5 million people aged 18-34–the so-called millennial generation–are living in poverty, the report found. In 1980, one in seven young adults from the Baby Boomer generation were living below the poverty line. This trend has occurred despite the fact that millennials aren’t much less likely to… Keep Reading

Chances of Justice for Sexually Assaulted Soldiers Not Improved by 2015 NDAA

The Pentagon claims that a lengthy report released Thursday shows it has improved how it deals with sexual assault. But critics argue that the problem is still grave and systemic, and the 2015 defense spending bill winding its way through Congress might not leave much room for improvement. While the Department of Defense found that victims appear less frightened to report sex crimes and that assaults are on the decline, it also admitted that 62 percent of victims who reported transgressions this year faced retaliation.… Keep Reading

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