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Sam Sacks has 859 articles published.

U.S. Spy Director Trashes Chinese Cyber Agreement

The Director of National Intelligence James Clapper panned a cybersecurity accord between the US and China that aims to reduce Beijing’s alleged rampant theft of intellectual property, claiming that he has no confidence it will actually work. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, where the panel’s chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) asked the spy chief if he was “optimistic” that the agreement could reduce Chinese economic espionage, Clapper replied definitively with a simple “no.” He also said that “hope springs eternal,” but… Keep Reading

DOJ Inspector General Reviewed Several Incidents Of Islamophobia In U.S. Prisons In First Half Of 2015

The Justice Department inspector general on Monday continued its documentation of allegations of Islamophobia in the federal prison system, noting in a regular department-wide report that nine new accusations of civil rights complaints were leveled against its employees. Most complaints involved Bureau of Prisons (BOP) guards; most were lodged by Muslims. Remarking that the sheer volume of complaints against DOJ employees makes it difficult for its office to pursue individual cases, the department IG said that all nine of the incidents were referred to the… Keep Reading

District Sentinel Radio Episode 9: Saving Democracy Through Technology

Speaker of the House John Boehner resigns, “dark money” reigns supreme early on this election season, and a new Congressional probe of the State Department looming. Icelandic activists and founders of the Citizen Foundation, Gunnar Grimsson and Robert Bjarnason, are on the show to talk about how technology is saving democracy around the world. The tool they’ve created, Your Priorities, is being used by The District Sentinel to interact with members. Plus, Hillary Clinton comes out against the Keystone XL pipeline, and the “Top 10 Most… Keep Reading

Obama “Influenced” By Pope’s Anti-Death Penalty Message

In his address to Congress, Pope Francis touched on a number of divisive issues in American politics that excite passions in liberals, but his words encouraging the abolition of the death penalty in particular may have resonated most within the White House. Asked by reporters on Thursday to respond to the pontiff’s call on justice systems to “never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation,” administration spokesman Josh Earnest said the President, too, shares concerns about capital punishment. “I think it’s fair… Keep Reading

Dept. of Energy Offers Mixed Results in Combating Nuclear Proliferation

US civilian officials overseeing non-proliferation of weapons grade nuclear material are lacking a complete inventory detailing the full extent of their worldwide responsibilities, according to a government watchdog report published this week. The Government Accountability Office called on the Departments of Energy and State, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to compile an inventory of “US-obligated” highly enriched uranium (HEU) and plutonium for the second time in four years, but the trio of organizations are still resisting the recommendation, describing it as unnecessary. “[W]e continue to… Keep Reading

Latest C.F.P.B. List of Most Complained About Financial Companies Loaded With Wall Street Giants

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a report Tuesday showing that Americans are this year more dissatisfied with financial firms —especially debt collectors, credit reporters, and mortgage lenders. The watchdog pointed out that among the “Top 10 Most-Complained-About Companies,” credit reporters Equifax and Experian were financial industry leaders in terms of inspiring grievances. Each firm was the subject of more than 900 monthly complaints on average between June and August 2015. Wall Street giants Bank of America and Wells Fargo, plus another credit reporting… Keep Reading

State Department Withholding Three Documents From Senate Panel, Corker Presses Subpoena Threat

The Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee accused the State Department of stonewalling an investigation into the political manipulation of a key human rights report, and urged his colleagues to consider a response. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) claimed Tuesday that during a classified hearing last week with Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken, he requested three specific documents related to the decision-making process behind the department’s 2015 Trafficking in Persons report (TIP). He noted that the request has not been fulfilled. “I do hope… Keep Reading

F.A.A. To Let Space Barons Regulate Themselves

Federal Aviation Administration officials told a government watchdog that the agency doesn’t intend to issue safety regulations on the burgeoning commercial space launch industry, and plan to allow rocket ship makers to regulate themselves—despite three noteworthy mishaps in the last year. A moratorium that prevents the FAA from issuing regulations to preserve the safety of crew and spaceflight participants is set to expire at the end of September, and the agency informed the Government Accountability Office that it “has no plans to issues regulations” in… Keep Reading

District Sentinel Radio Episode 8: ISIS No Longer Doing “Wheelies”

The State Department gives us a new reason why we can rest assured that we’re winning the fight against the Islamic State. The Senate examines updating 30-year-old electronic communications privacy law. Journalist and author Will Everett joins us to discuss his time as an aide worker in Afghanistan, the new coalition government in Kabul, and how the US invasion contributed to the current refugee crisis in Europe. Also, a government study on vaping and a potential congressional inquiry into fantasy football.     Keep Reading

“Very Significant Fines” and Shutdowns Looming For Nation’s Train Operators

The agency in charge of overseeing the nation’s railway network is promising to move ahead with heavy fines, with a majority of railroad operators set to miss a Dec. 31 deadline by which to update key safety features. Acting head of the Federal Railroad Administration Sarah Feinberg said Thursday the US would proceed with the penalties, despite lawmakers and industry officials growing jittery about their economic impact. “The deadline is not going to be met, that is disappointing to me and I think that has… Keep Reading

Recently Transferred Gitmo Detainee Facing Illegal Imprisonment In Morocco, Lawyers Claim

The Pentagon confirmed Thursday that it transferred a Guantanamo Bay prisoner to Morocco this week, however, the detainee’s legal team said it has no knowledge of his whereabouts and believes he is being illegally held captive. UK human rights group, Reprieve, released a statement expressing concern about their client, Younous Chekkouri, a Moroccan national who had been imprisoned at the US military facility in Cuba for 14 years until his Wednesday transfer. “[We] have been unable to meet or speak to him since the US… Keep Reading

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