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Sam Sacks - page 35

Sam Sacks has 859 articles published.

W.H. Floats Anti-Union, Pro-Choice GOP Centrist to Supreme Court

The Obama administration reacted to historic right-wing obstruction in the Senate by leaking the idea of nominating a Republican to the Supreme Court. Two unnamed sources told the Washington Post Wednesday that the White House is vetting Governor Brian Sandoval (R-Nev.) to take the place of the late Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. The Post described the pair “as two people familiar with the process” Administration Press Secretary Josh Earnest downplayed the reports, telling journalists, “I suspect it is only the first of many stories that speculate on potential Supreme… Keep Reading

From the Campaign Trail, Sanders Lashes Out at Obama’s New FDA Chair

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) continues to show no intention of uncritically embracing the Democratic Party’s agenda in his bid to secure its presidential nomination. The rebellious candidate took a principled stand on Wednesday to criticize the White House’s newest agency chief. Just after the Senate confirmed Dr. Robert Califf to head the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in an 89 to 4 vote, Sanders fired off a statement saying he was “disappointed.” “I opposed his nomination because I was not convinced that he would stand up to… Keep Reading

Constitutional Crisis on the Horizon: GOP Leaders Pledge No Hearing on SCOTUS Nominee

The Supreme Court looks set to remain short-handed long into the future after GOP Senate leaders formally pledged to resist any effort by President Obama to seat a new justice on the high court’s bench. In a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday, Republican members of the Judiciary Committee stated that they would not consider any Obama nomination to replace the hyper-conservative Justice Antonin Scalia. Led by Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa.), they claimed that their obstruction was formed on sound constitutional grounds.… Keep Reading

Obama Mounts One Last Effort to Close Guantanamo

The president submitted to Congress on Tuesday a plan to close the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay—a proposal that hinges on convincing GOP lawmakers to lift the ban on bringing detainees into the US. The blueprint named 13 different locations stateside, including already existing prisons and military bases in Kansas, Colorado, and South Carolina, that the Pentagon believes would be suitable to house the remaining Gitmo population. “It’s not just about closing the facility at Guantanamo, not just about dealing with the current group… Keep Reading

POTUS to Meet with Dissidents In Cuba During Historic Trip Next Month

President Obama confirmed on social media Thursday morning that he will go to Cuba in March, becoming the first sitting US head of state to visit the island nation since 1928. “Next month, I’ll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people,” he said on Twitter. “We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly,” he added, claiming that “America will always stand for human rights around the world.” The president’s visit… Keep Reading

Government Now Using 227-Year-Old Law to Fight Encryption

Apple CEO Tim Cook remained defiant after a federal judge earlier this week ordered his company to help the FBI break into an iPhone that belonged to one of the San Bernardino shooters. In an open letter published Wednesday morning, Cook promised to fight the order, and called the actions by the US government an “unprecedented step” in its efforts to undermine privacy protections. Like all new iPhones manufactured in the last few years, the device belonging to Syed Rizwan Farook used full-disk encryption, which prevents anyone—including… Keep Reading

Penny-Pinching States Expanding Medicaid, Cutting Off Access To Doctors

When states expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, millions gained access to healthcare services. But some of the most vulnerable in Republican states are now finding it difficult to physically reach their doctors, after being denied ancillary transportation benefits. Three states are enacting “a barrier to accessing healthcare, particularly among low-income populations” by stripping new Medicaid enrollees of money for transportation. The Government Accountability Office detailed in a report published Tuesday that Indiana, Iowa, and Arizona refused non-emergency medical transportation assistance (NEMT) to those who otherwise benefited from… Keep Reading

Pentagon Unmoved By McCain Captured Sailors Subpoena Threat

A spokesman for the Department of Defense brushed aside a deadline set by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to divulge the full details of how ten US sailors were captured last month in Iranian waters. In a briefing Tuesday, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook rejected criticism lodged by the Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman. McCain claimed earlier this week the administration has been slow-walking a full debrief of the incident. “The Navy is doing its due diligence, following its protocols with these ten sailors and with this incident in… Keep Reading

Pelosi Condemns Money in Politics…But only When Republicans Accept It

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) acknowledged the corruptive influence of money in politics, when asked about the recent success of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) presidential campaign, but framed it as a problem that exists only in Republican circles. In a briefing with reporters Thursday, Pelosi said Sanders’ focus on campaign finance reform has “been a big part of [the] strength” that propelled him to a historic victory in Hew Hampshire earlier this week. But she went on to say that the problem of donor influence in… Keep Reading

Senate Readies Contempt Charges For Marketing CEO Amid Sex Trafficking Investigation

In a unanimous vote on Wednesday, a Senate committee advanced a resolution holding the online advertiser Backpage.com in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a Senate investigation into sex trafficking. Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) introduced the measure. The two have been leading a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee probe into human trafficking that ensnared Backpage—an online competitor to Craigslist.com The senators claim to have turned up hundreds of cases of illegal sex trafficking that could be linked… Keep Reading

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