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Sam Knight - page 78

Sam Knight has 859 articles published.

Occupational Injuries Down In 2013; Woodworkers, Messengers More Likely to Get Hurt Than State Cops

Americans suffered fewer injuries on the job in 2013, according to government statistics published Thursday. The incidence of non-fatal occupational injuries and illnesses in the private sector fell last year to 3.3 percent from 3.4 percent in 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Private sector industries with injury rates above the average were manufacturing, trade and transportation, education and healthcare, and leisure and hospitality. The rate of occupational injuries for all workers, including state and local public sector employees, was 3.5 percent. Workers… Keep Reading

US Shows Remorse Over Libya Intervention

If the United States government is hoping to ameliorate the situation in Syria, then it must not act like the United States government, according to the United States government. Responding to Al-Quds reporter Said Arikat’s comments that “Syria could go Libya’s way” and “if Assad is toppled, we could see another Libya,” State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said at a Wednesday press briefing that the scenario is an American concern. “You speak to a good point, Said.” Harf commented, before repeating the Obama administration’s call… Keep Reading

Net Neutrality Isn’t Enough, President Obama Must Preserve Municipal Broadband

This week–more than most, it seems–Washington is plugged into the economics of communications. Pitting himself against both content and internet service providers in favor of VIP connectivity, President Obama called for strong Net Neutrality rules. As usual for populist moves by the Democratic Party establishment, it is laudable, but ultimately a half-measure – a reaction to corporate enclosure of the online commons, rather than a move to expand access to them. Perhaps the announcement was designed to bring to the fore what daylight still exists… Keep Reading

State Spox Caught Criticizing Own Mubarak Line in Hot Mic

State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki appeared on Monday to be caught criticizing the department’s own talking point about an Egyptian court’s acquittal of former dictator Hosni Mubarak. Just after the department’s daily press briefing, Psaki rolled her eyes before giving a friendly glance to Matt Lee of the Associated Press as he approached the lectern. “That Egypt line is ridiculous,” she said, as the TV lights dimmed. Lee, who is known for asking tough questions, could be heard laughing in response. On Saturday, an Egyptian… Keep Reading

New Data Shows Weaker Wages in 2014 Than Previously Reported

Workers have been paid far less this year than previously believed, according to revised Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Wednesday. Hourly compensation in non-agricultural businesses actually shrank by 0.9 percent in the second quarter, while the same statistic only grew by 1.3 percent in the third quarter. Labor Department data had previously shown that the wages grew by 2.3 percent in both quarters. More complete information released by BLS also showed that productivity increased in the third quarter by more than stated in November’s… Keep Reading

Wall Street Bill Would Make Watchdog Perform Legal Services for Banks

A Wall Street-backed bill passed by the House Financial Services Committee last summer would substantially burden the signature oversight institution created by Dodd-Frank financial reform, according to a study released Tuesday. The bill would task the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with providing over a dozen legal opinions to banks every day, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO found that the legislation would increase CFPB costs by $81.5 million annually over the next ten years–a sizable chunk of the agency’s budget. According to an annual report published… Keep Reading

Americans More Moved By Open Internet Than Planetary Destruction

Climate change has recently been failing to galvanize activists the same way that open internet rules have, according to data on public comments released this week. After a deadline on input passed Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency said it received more than 1.6 million public comments on proposed rules to limit utilities’ carbon emissions. The Federal Communications Commission received 3.9 million letters on proposed Net Neutrality rules after a deadline on relevant public comments passed in November. The number of comments on the pollution regulations appear… Keep Reading

Kerry Will Only Revoke Passports At Behest of Law Enforcement

Secretary of State John Kerry has the power to revoke Americans’ passports, but one diplomat said that he will only do it on the recommendation of law enforcement officials. Ambassador Robert Bradtke, a State Department adviser on the conflict in Syria, made the remarks Tuesday before a House Foreign Affairs joint subcommittee. He cited the lack of Justice Department appeal as the reason why no US citizen fighting for an Islamist militia in Syria has had the travel document rescinded. “This is something we would only do in relatively… Keep Reading

Senate Approves, State Defends Controversial Donor-Ambassadors

The State Department defended controversial ambassador nominees approved by the Senate on Tuesday, saying that the practice of appointing campaign fundraisers as envoys is par for the course in Washington. Two boosters of President Obama, Noah Mamet and Colleen Bell, will be lead the US embassies in Argentina and Hungary. Mamet, a political consultant, and Bell, a producer of the soap opera “The Bold and The Beautiful”, were panned by Republicans for lacking relevant qualifications, given the countries’ relative significance on the world stage. Mamet was approved… Keep Reading

Expanding Corporate Debt One of “Several Threats to Financial Stability”

The Treasury Department warned Tuesday that corporate borrowing represents one of “several threats to financial stability” to have emerged during the post-2008 economic recovery. The third annual Congressional report published by the department’s Office of Financial Research found that significant corporate loan exposure, the possibility of a liquidity shortage during a downturn, and an increase in activity in “difficult to assess” sectors cast a pall over the US economy. “Assets under management have increased ten-fold over the last five years, driven by a search for… Keep Reading

Unqualified Donor to Take Key South American Ambassadorship

Argentina-US relations have been frostier in recent years due to litigation filed by a vulture fund investor. But despite the heightened sensitivity, Washington is set to send to Buenos Aires an ambassador who admitted last year to barely speaking Spanish. Late Monday, the nomination of Noah Mamet to the position passed a cloture vote. The Senate is expected to approve of his nomination Tuesday. A political consultant, Mamet’s main qualification is that he bundled over $500,000 in donations for President Obama’s re-election campaign. In his… Keep Reading

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