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Sam Sacks - page 21

Sam Sacks has 859 articles published.

john mccain

McCain Slams Proposal to Separate NSA and Cyber Command, Promises to Scuttle It

Reports that the Obama administration is considering cleaving off US Cyber Command from the National Security Agency (NSA) have roiled the Chairman of the Senate Armed Service Committee. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) threatened the White House on Tuesday, saying he would do all he can to block a nominee to head any new agency created by ending the “dual-hat” role of the NSA chief. US Cyber Command, formed in 2009, resides within the NSA, sharing the same networks and resources as the intelligence gathering agency.… Keep Reading

Private Utility Profiteers Outperformed By Publicly-Owned Counterparts

A new report by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that municipal utility providers offer better results than their corporate competitors. Power plants owned and operated by city governments experienced on average one outage in 2015, usually lasting up to two hours, according to the study. Those performance indicators outpaced other utility types in 2015. Investor-owned energy producers averaged more than one outage a year. They typically lasted beyond three hours. Cooperatively owned utilities fared the worst, averaging more than two outages a year that… Keep Reading

D.O.J. Watchdog Finds A.T.F. Relied on Juveniles to Facilitate Illegal Gun Purchases

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) ran stings in at least two cities that often relied on teenagers dealing stolen guns, according to the Department of Justice’s Inspector General. The discovery was included in a review of the ATF’s use of undercover storefront operations–establishments masked as retail stores or tattoo parlors, staffed with federal agents looking to gather criminal intelligence and lure illegal activity. At one ATF operation disguised as a clothing store in Wichita, Kan., the DOJ watchdog found that agents relied on… Keep Reading

Russians and Chinese Hacking U.S. “All The Time,” Spy Director Claims

The Director of National Intelligence James Clapper informed a spy summit in Washington that US systems are under constant barrage from foreign cyber intruders. The admission comes amid heightened suspicions that Russia was behind high-profile hacks in recent months that targeted political organizations like the Democratic National Committee and statewide electoral systems in Arizona and Illinois. Clapper did not assign Russian culpability to those particular attacks, but spoke broadly on the state of affairs in the cyber realm. “The Russians hack our systems all the… Keep Reading

ITT Tech homepage

“Thanks, Obama!” Notorious For-Profit College Shutters, Blames Admin.

Private college giant ITT Tech announced it was closing down on Tuesday, becoming the latest higher education profiteer to buckle under federal investigations into alleged wrongdoing. The shut down is the culmination of the company’s death spiral, which began last month when the Department of Education formally sanctioned it by preventing taxpayer dollars from funding future enrollees. For-profit colleges overwhelmingly depend on taxpayer-funded student loans to enroll new students. ITT Tech received nearly $600 million in federal money in 2015 alone. “The actions of and… Keep Reading

cluster bombs jet

U.S. Cluster Bomb Manufacturer Shuts Down Supply Chain Ahead of Critical Report

The last remaining cluster munitions maker in the US dropped out of the business ahead of a report showing that the illegal bombs are still being deployed in war zones around the world. In its seventh annual report, the Cluster Munitions Monitor primarily implicated Russia, Syria, and Saudi Arabia for their ongoing use of cluster bombs, which were banned by more than 100 countries in 2008. The report noted, however, that many of the illegal munitions used–particularly in Saudi Arabia’s air campaign against Yemen–were produced… Keep Reading

DOJ Inspector General Blames Inadequate Prison Release Programs for High Recidivism Rates

A watchdog report released Wednesday condemned the Bureau of Prisons for not doing enough to prepare federal inmates for their return home, after serving their sentences. The Department of Justice’s Inspector General discovered “several weaknesses” with Release Preparation Programs (RPP) at facilities nationwide. Federal law requires the BOP to establish the programs to assist offenders in rejoining their communities and finding work after release. The bureau’s lack of oversight of the rehabilitation regime, however, has eroded its effectiveness at reducing prison re-entry. The investigation revealed that the… Keep Reading

Memo Instructed Dems How to Placate B.L.M. Activists

The hacker Guccifer 2.0 published documents online Wednesday morning that were allegedly retrieved from the computer of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), including one memo that informed Democrats on how to deal with the Black Lives Matter movement. The communication sent to employees at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), advised that when meeting with BLM activists, staff should “listen to their concerns,” but “don’t offer support for concrete policy positions.” The memo was prepared by the DCCC’s former Diversity Director Troy Perry, who has… Keep Reading

Lawsuit Alleges I.C.E. Violated FOIA Laws

Border enforcement officials unlawfully denied an attorney access to her client’s immigration records, according to a complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado. The ACLU state chapter announced last week that it was taking action on behalf of Jennifer Smith, an immigration attorney who was told by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that she couldn’t view her client’s file because the agency deemed her non-US citizen client to be a “fugitive.” The ACLU contends in its suit that the immigration agency didn’t offer up a… Keep Reading

“Critical” Protection Needed: Voter Registration Data Stolen in State Election Hack

As the Department of Homeland Security weighs adding new federal cyber security protection to election systems across the country, the FBI is revealing it may be too late for some voters. The bureau sent an alert this month to state officials, warning them to examine their systems for malicious actors, following the hack of two State Board of Elections databases. FBI sources informed Yahoo News that voter databases in Illinois and Arizona had been compromised by hackers who are believed to be foreign. According to… Keep Reading

After Public Shaming, Mylan Lowers EpiPen Costs—Barely

Mylan, the maker of the EpiPen, announced on Thursday that it would offer 50 percent-discounts to some patients who depend on the life-saving allergy shot. The move comes after the company received attention for jacking up the price of the device by 500-percent since 2009. Mylan executives have been met with widespread public ridicule as a result–criticism that has reverberated around Congressional offices amid the summer recess. “As a mother, I can assure you, the last thing that we would ever want is no one to have… Keep Reading

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