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Sam Sacks - page 17

Sam Sacks has 859 articles published.

Trump “Thinks” Russia Hacked DNC, Goes Off on Intel Agencies, Buzzfeed, CNN

An uncorroborated memo that has been circulating for months around news organizations, lawmakers, and US government officials–one alleging dealings between President-Elect Donald Trump and the Russian government–has sparked a full-blown clash between the incoming administration and US spies and journalists. Trump on Wednesday convened his first press conference since July. Although the focus of the back-and-forth with reporters was supposed to be on Trump’s plans to resolve his conflicts of interest, CNN and BuzzFeed reporting on the memo became the focus of the proceedings. “BuzzFeed… Keep Reading

Watchdog: Lack of Oversight Plagues Health Care Services for Native Americans

A government report released on Monday tied the poor health outcomes of Native Americans to a lack of consistent management at federal hospitals tasked with caring for indigenous people in the US. According to an analysis by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Indian Health Service (IHS) has practiced only “limited and inconsistent” oversight of its network of hospitals. The lack of health care standards, the watchdog reported, is a contributing factor to the shorter life expectancy of many Native American populations. The GAO noted… Keep Reading

House Report Warns Congress Against Anti-Encryption Meaures

A bipartisan working group on Capitol Hill is urging fellow lawmakers to abandon plans to mandate backdoors to encrypted information at the behest of law enforcement. The group—comprised of members from the House Energy and Judiciary Committees—has spent the past six month studying the issue of encryption. Efforts included conducting interviews with digital security experts and law enforcement officials. Their conclusion: “Any measure that weakens encryption works against the national interest.” The analysis is likely to ruffle FBI Director James Comey, who, on behalf of the… Keep Reading

Goldman Sachs’ Stock, Influence in Trump Administration, Both on the Rise

President-elect Donald Trump has yet to provide tangible assurances that he won’t use the presidency to boost his personal profits. Meanwhile, one major American bank, which doesn’t’ have to provide such assurances, is already cashing in “big league” on Trump’s win last month–an event followed by high-profile government appointments for executives of the firm. Wall Street behemoth Goldman Sachs has seen its stock prices ascend by 33 percent since Election Day, and is responsible for the lion’s share of the gains on the Dow Jones Industrial… Keep Reading

Kansas—Birthplace of #CrossCheck—Declines to Participate in Survey Showing Virtually No Voter Fraud

A survey of nearly all fifty states in the country revealed that voter fraud was virtually non-existent during the 2016 election. Only Kansas refused to participate in the review, conducted by the New York Times, which showed that out of more than 137 million votes cast around the nation, there was very little evidence of significant fraud. The results strike a blow to claims often repeated by President-elect Donald Trump and Republican policymakers that millions of people are voting illegally in our elections every year.… Keep Reading

Intel Committee Chair Questions Existence of CIA Report on Russian Hacking

The intelligence community rejected a request from House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) to provide a briefing to members on Russia’s alleged meddling in last month’s presidential election. The denial prompted Nunes on Wednesday to cast doubt on recent claims coming out of the CIA, including whether or not there really is an agency assessment that Moscow was aiming to help Donald Trump win the presidency. “The Committee is deeply concerned that intransigence in sharing intelligence with Congress can enable the manipulation of intelligence… Keep Reading

Ahead of Confirmation Hearing, Feinstein Accuses Sessions of Withholding Key Records from Committee

The man chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to be the nation’s top prosecutor is playing fast and loose with disclosure requirements ahead of his confirmation hearing, a top Democrat alleged on Tuesday. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) made the claims in a letter to the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), calling for a delay in next month’s confirmation hearing of Sen. Jeff Session (R-Ala.), to be the next US Attorney General, according to Politico. Feinstein, who is set to be the highest ranking Democrat… Keep Reading

Energy Dept. Resisting Trump Purge Efforts

An “unsettled” workforce at the Department of Energy (DOE) has the backing of their leadership, which rejected a request from President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team to identify staffers who worked on climate change issues. It is believed that the incoming Trump administration is preparing a purge of department scientists who helped forge the Paris Climate Agreement and studied the impacts of carbon pollution. Last week, transition officials sent a questionnaire to the department asking for the names of employees and contractors that worked on certain… Keep Reading

McConnell Won’t Say if Tillerson can be Confirmed as Sec. of State

Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson will reportedly be President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for Secretary of State, but tea leaves in the Senate suggest it could be an uphill battle to get the oil baron confirmed. During a briefing with reporters on Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was upbeat about the prospect of Trump’s nominees thus far being approved, but dodged a question on the likelihood of a Tillerson confirmation. “I don’t want to comment on a phantom nominee today,” he stated. Tillerson’s ties… Keep Reading

State Dept. IG Joins Fray of Overseers Asking for More Authority as Trump Admin. Readies for Power

The Inspector General at the US State Department again notified Congress of a blind spot in oversight, and urged lawmakers to pass legislation that would address it. Testifying before a Senate foreign relations subcommittee on Thursday, department IG Steve Linick said his watchdog role is more limited than others in the federal enterprise because of unique procedures at State. Linick specifically mentioned rules that allow department investigators at the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and other agencies to keep the IG’s office in the dark about probes.… Keep Reading

Congressional Dems Hone in on Russian Interference Claims, Accuse GOP of Stonewalling Probe

Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, used a hearing on government transparency Wednesday to demand that the panel take action on allegations that the Russian government interfered in last month’s election. He charged that the committee’s chairman, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), is rebuffing requests for an investigation into the matter. “On November 17, 2016, I wrote a letter to the Chairman requesting that our committee conduct a bipartisan investigation into Russia’s role in interfering and influencing the 2016 presidential… Keep Reading

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