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Sam Sacks - page 12

Sam Sacks has 859 articles published.

Trump Claims Cops are “Obstructed,” Subject to “Unfair Vilification”

The President of the United States issued a proclamation on Monday, dedicating the week to law enforcement officers. Although communities across the nation are agitating for police reforms in response to an endemic of lethal force use—more than 960 people were killed by officers in 2016—President Trump alleged cops deserve better treatment from society. “I will make it the personal priority of my administration to ensure that our police are finally treated fairly with honor and respect that they deserve,” Trump told a crowd assembled… Keep Reading

Acting FBI Chief Shoots Down Admin’s Comey Firing Justification

The man temporarily leading the FBI told senators that one of the White House’s reasons for firing James Comey was “not accurate.” Andrew McCabe, the interim FBI head, testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, occupying a chair that was supposed to be filled by Comey, until the former Bureau director was abruptly canned by the President on Tuesday. McCabe disputed the administration’s characterization the previous day by Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, that “the rank-and-file of the FBI had lost confidence in their… Keep Reading

Rare Setback for the GOP Assault on Obama-Era Regulations

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) dismissed Democrats’ outrage over the firing of FBI Director James Comey, and promptly proceeded to business as usual in the upper chamber: repealing regulations approved by the prior administration. Only this time, the Majority Leader didn’t succeed. A motion to advance legislation that would repeal a methane emissions rule was defeated Wednesday morning in a 51-49 vote. Republicans tried to move the resolution forward under the Congressional Review Act (CRA)—a law that allows Congress to repeal recently-approved regulations by a… Keep Reading

Dept. of Energy Declares “Emergency” At Nation’s Most Radioactive Site

A tunnel collapse at the Hanford Nuclear site forced workers to evacuate or take cover out of fear of a potential radiological release. The incident occurred Tuesday morning, prompting the Department of Energy to issue an alert to employees, the media, and residents nearby. “There are concerns about subsidence in the soil covering railroad tunnels near a former chemical processing facility,” the statement read. It later described a 20-square-foot cave-in of soil into tunnels carrying “contaminated materials.” The DOE claimed that there is “no indication… Keep Reading

Sen. Cotton: Give the Military Free Rein to Use Whatever Weapons it Wishes

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) mocked the concept of civilian control of the military, and defended the recent dropping of the “Mother of all Bombs” in Afghanistan—a weapon that had never before been used in combat. During a Senate Armed Services Committee oversight hearing of US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) on Thursday, Cotton made the case for giving military operators free rein to use whatever weapons they deem necessary—regardless of what elected officials’ concerns might be. He went on to describe the fallout from the dropping… Keep Reading

FBI Suggests Assange’s Asylum Only Thing Keeping Him Out of U.S. Handcuffs

In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, FBI Director James Comey confirmed that the US is interested in arresting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The online publishing outfit–known for disclosing secret US government documents, and most recently, the internal emails of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta–is “an important focus” of the FBI, Comey told the Committee. Asked why Assange has yet to be arrested, Comey said bluntly: “He hasn’t been apprehended because he’s inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London.” The… Keep Reading

Trump Tweets Call to End Legislative Filibuster

The President of the United States took to his favorite social media platform on Tuesday, and called for the full dismantling of the filibuster. Donald Trump attacked the long-standing Senate procedure, when striking out at a negotiated budget deal on Capitol Hill. The agreement left out many of his top priorities, including money for a border wall and the stripping of funding from so-called “sanctuary cities.” “The reason for the plan negotiated between the Republicans and Democrats is that we need 60 votes in the Senate… Keep Reading

US Pacific Command Chief Refuses to Rule Out Invasion of North Korea, Says Pyongyang Has “Provoked Us”

Attempts by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to ease the concerns of North Korean leadership may have backfired spectacularly on Thursday, when a high-ranking military commander refused to rule out the possibility of the US toppling Pyongyang “for the heck of it.” Adm. Harry Harris, head of Pacific Command, appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee to brief lawmakers about the simmering conflict on the Korean peninsula—tensions that could ratchet up following the unsettling exchange between the admiral and Sen. Graham. Characterizing Kim Jong Un’s dash… Keep Reading

Dem Lawmaker Grills Fed Prison Chief Over “Occupancy Guarantees” Contracts

During an oversight hearing with the head of federal prisons, Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) called on the agency to review arrangements with private jailers that require beds to be full. Testifying before a House Judiciary subcommittee on Wednesday, Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Acting Director Dr. Thomas Kane stated that the government still includes occupancy guarantees in its contracts with for-profit prisons. Also known as “lockup quotas,” the provisions require state and federal authorities to keep a certain minimum of prison beds full—generally between 70 and… Keep Reading

As Water Heats Up Around Flynn, White House Withholds Documents from Congress

The Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee said he was “extremely troubled” by what he saw in classified records related to Gen. Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former National Security Advisor. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) briefed reporters on Tuesday shortly after reviewing financial disclosures Flynn made when applying for his security clearance. The procedure required Flynn to reveal all income from foreign sources. Flynn had received tens of thousands of dollars in 2015 from various Russian firms, including the state-run news channel, RT. Those appearance fee payments,… Keep Reading

#DAPL Mogul Cut $250,000 Check to Trump’s Inauguration

Financial disclosures filed on Tuesday reveal that corporate chiefs, including those with pending business before then-incoming President Trump, provided much of the financing for the festivities around his inauguration. Complying with federal law, the Trump Inaugural Committee disclosed its donors to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Tuesday, showing total contributions of more than $106 million—a new record. Included in the roster of funders is pipeline builder Kelcy Warren, who contributed a quarter-million dollars to the event. Warren’s company, Energy Transfer, is behind construction of the… Keep Reading

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