A NEWS CO-OP IN DC SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE

Author

Sam Sacks - page 33

Sam Sacks has 859 articles published.

Clinton Sweeps; Trump Sends Rubio Packing

With nearly all the votes counted in the five states that held primaries on Tuesday night, both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump stepped even closer to securing their parties’ respective nominations. The former Secretary of State won every contest on the Democratic side, pulling ahead by wide margins in Florida, North Carolina, and Ohio. She squeaked by her rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), in Illinois, and is clinging to a two-tenths of a point lead in Missouri with 99% of precincts reporting in the state. Sanders’… Keep Reading

King Approved As Education Secretary, Despite First Steps on Student Loan Fraud Victims

On Monday evening, the US Senate voted to approve the nomination of Dr. John King Jr. as Secretary of Education—a position that grants him unique authority to grant relief to the wide swath of Americans who have been defrauded by for-profit colleges. King has thus far declined to act, despite having served as the acting Secretary of Education since January. He has subsequently become the subject of ire of thousands of debt-saddled college students who have appealed to the department to forgive their obligations to for-profit schools that fraudulently lured them into traps One… Keep Reading

D.O.J. Steps Up Bid to Combat “Criminalization of Poverty” Highlighted by Ferguson Abuses

Attorney General Loretta Lynch is calling for a crackdown on local courts that bog down defendants with steep fines and fees that often lead to jail time. The Justice Department announced Monday it will offer $2.5 million in grants to state and local jurisdictions that develop alternatives to financial penalties that inflict undue harm on already-impoverished citizens. The department’s Civil Rights Division on Monday also fired off a letter to chief judges and court administrators across all 50 states, laying out new principles that should be followed when… Keep Reading

Government Failing to Address “High-Risk Safety” Problems at Native American Schools

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is shirking its responsibilities to protect schools for roughly 50,000 indigenous American students, a federal watchdog reported on Friday. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed that Indian Affairs inspectors last year failed to conduct reviews at 69 of the 180 agency-run schools, in defiance of federal policy that requires all facilities to be inspected annually. “As a result, Indian Affairs cannot effectively determine the magnitude and severity of safety and health deficiencies at schools,” GAO stated. The oversight agency’s own… Keep Reading

Pentagon Looks to Avoid Gitmo Situation in ISIL War; GOP Senators Hope to Recreate It

The Department of Defense announced the transfer of an Islamic State (ISIL) detainee to the Iraqi government in what it described as a “template” for future prisoner dealings, lessening the chances that ISIL militants will receive Guantanamo Bay-style indefinite detentions. During a press briefing Thursday, Pentagon spokesperson Peter Cook informed reporters that Sulayman Dawud al-Bakkar, a captured ISIL chemical weapons engineer, had been handed over to Iraqi authorities earlier in the day. Dawud was picked up in Iraq last month by US forces in coordination with local soldiers. His… Keep Reading

D.O.J. Loses Lindsey Graham in Encryption Fight

One of the Senate’s fiercest counter-terrorism hawks just turned his back on the FBI in its public fight with Apple over consumer privacy. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who last December called on Silicon Valley to stop selling encrypted devices, expressed serious concern on Wednesday about the precedent the Department of Justice would set if it successfully compels Apple to break iPhone security features. “I was all with you until I actually started getting briefed by the people in the Intel Community,” Graham told Attorney General Loretta Lynch… Keep Reading

Loretta Lynch Can’t Explain Why Children Are Forced to Represent Themselves in Immigration Courts

The head of Department of Justice was at a loss for a credible explanation, when a US Senator confronted her over the fact that children are often forced to appear in deportation courts without a lawyer. During a Senate oversight hearing Wednesday, the Judiciary Committee’s ranking member, Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), called on Attorney General Loretta Lynch to account for the department’s decision to not mandate representation for children in immigration proceedings. Leahy also called on AG Lynch to address the controversial statements made last week by… Keep Reading

Yuge Upset: Sanders Shocks Clinton (and the Pollsters) in Michigan

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Tuesday night pulled off one of the biggest upsets in modern electoral history, claiming victory in the Michigan Democratic Primary after polls showed him trailing by double-digits heading into the contest. With 99 percent of the vote counted in the Wolverine State, Sanders bested the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, 50 to 48 percent. He collected the lion’s share of the 130 delegates up for grabs in the primary. Ahead of voting, data showed Clinton with a commanding lead… Keep Reading

Utah Senator Last Remaining Holdout Blocking Flint Relief Package

The number of US Senators blocking aid to the residents of Flint, Mich. and communities that might be afflicted by lead-contaminated drinking water shrunk to one on Tuesday. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) is now the last lawmaker standing in the way of the $250 million assistance program receiving a vote on the floor of the Senate. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) dropped his hold on the legislation Tuesday, The Hill reported. Presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) had also temporarily thwarted the bill, but backed off his… Keep Reading

Secret Court Approves FBI’s Classified Changes to NSA Database Access

The FBI has implemented new protocols that allegedly enhance privacy safeguards for Americans, when bureau agents search through the NSA’s massive intelligence databases for information. It can’t be confirmed, however, since details about the reported minimization procedures are classified. They were approved by the top-secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), which oversees sensitive spying operations, both domestic and abroad. US officials confirmed the changes to The Guardian in a report published on Tuesday. “Changes have been implemented,” an unnamed official told the paper. “We cannot comment further due to… Keep Reading

District Sentinel Radio Episode 22: Two Sams, One Diggler

A discussion on the 2016 race, the state of the media, maritime law, and gender-bias in family court with America’s hottest political pundit: Cafe.com‘s Carl “The Dig” Diggler (and his assistant Virgil Texas). Brendan James, the media reporter at the International Business Times, joins us to preview The Dig. Check out Brendan’s latest report on Carl Diggler. WARNING: Material on this week’s episode could be particularly offensive to some. Keep Reading

1 … 31 32 33 34 35 … 79
Go to Top