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Sam Sacks - page 63

Sam Sacks has 859 articles published.

“This is What Countries Do” – House Intel Committee Member Defends Israel From Spying Charges

A Republican member of the House intelligence committee lent credibility to reports that Israel has been spying on nuclear talks between the permanent UN Security Council members and Iran, and then feeding members of Congress with the intelligence, even as fellow lawmakers and administration officials refuse to confirm or deny the allegations. “This is what countries do,” Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) said during an appearance on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal Wednesday morning, responding to a question about the Israeli espionage row. “How did we find out… Keep Reading

In Spying Relationship with Israel, U.S. Remains the Sucker

Revelations that Israel was spying on closed-door US-led negotiations between the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Iran, and then selectively leaking intelligence with the aim of scuttling any nuclear deal, is only the latest saga in a tortured history of the close alliance between the US and its best friend in the Middle East. First reported by the Wall Street Journal, Israeli spies eavesdropped and acquired confidential information about US briefings on Iran from “informants” and “diplomatic contacts” in Europe. Israel… Keep Reading

Variety in American Nuclear Plant Designs Increases Risk of Disaster, Lawmaker Warns

The nation’s aging fleet of atomic power plants is safe in a post-Fukushima world, members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission told the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday. But one lawmaker wasn’t easily convinced. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) said she is concerned that the lack of uniformity among plants makes it exceedingly difficult for regulators to do their job, and elevates the chances that problems could mushroom should something go wrong. She pointed to a nuclear nation like France, which, using technology from Westinghouse, has near… Keep Reading

D.O.J. Continues Stonewalling Senate Inquiries on Surveillance Technology — Reported C.I.A. Link Questioned

Attorney General Eric Holder continues to resist Senators’ efforts to glean more information about federal law enforcement agencies’ domestic surveillance tools—apparatuses that reportedly have, in part, been built with help from the Central Intelligence Agency. The Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) wrote to the Attorney General last week, asking for more information on cellphone scanning technology. The letter was published Monday. According to recent reports by the Wall Street Journal, the technology is in… Keep Reading

Obama’s “Asian Pivot” Complicated by Japanese Communists

In a move that will complicate US-Japanese relations, construction on a key American military base in the Land of the Rising Sun was ordered to end, after a local governor, with the support of left-wingers, made good on anti-militarist campaign promises. Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga demanded builders suspend work at the US installation along the island’s northeastern coast, citing a series of environmental and public safety concerns. Onaga had previously railed against the construction of the base during an electoral campaign last fall that led… Keep Reading

How to cook a delicious dinner?

Morem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi. The Recipe… Keep Reading

Senator Bemoans the Obligations of Empire

Against the grain, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) is having troubling wrapping his head around the idea that sequestration is threatening the US military and national security. Quoting data published by the World Bank, Manchin noted, at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday, that while so-called US adversaries like China and Russia spend far less on their armed forces, Washington defense establishment mavens consider these countries to be “moving forward” and “doing positive things”, while the US military is retreating. China spends 2.1%… Keep Reading

W.H. Tells Netanyahu “Words Matter,” Suggests Support at U.N. Is Waning

The White House is informing Israel that there will be consequences for the rhetoric Benjamin Netanyahu used to secure re-election this week, and suggested that the US veto against pro-Palestinian statehood UN resolutions isn’t as reliable as it used to be. “Steps that the United States has taken at the United Nations have been predicated on this idea that the two-state solution is the best outcome. Now our ally in these talks has said they’re no longer committed to that solution,” spokesperson Josh Earnest told… Keep Reading

Biggest Threat to Strong Military Not Sequestration, But “Rat Hole” Afghanistan, Lawmaker Argues

Pentagon officials testified on Wednesday before a House Armed Services Committee hearing, where they were poked, prodded, and begged by militaristic lawmakers to detail the alleged detrimental effects that sequestration is having on the nation’s military. But one dovish conservative, Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), broke ranks with colleagues to admonish Pentagon brass about wasteful spending—particularly in Afghanistan—while arguing that critics of defense spending cuts are leaning on tortured logic and scaremongering tactics in debates. “Are you going to bring in John Sopko to tell you… Keep Reading

Public Interest Groups Call on Regulators to “Claw Back” Undeserving Wall Street Bonuses

In the aftermath of the financial meltdown, a considerable amount of public outrage was directed at banking executives who walked away from taxpayer-protected institutions they pillaged with enormous bonuses. Roughly a half-decade later, calls are growing louder to make sure that doesn’t happen again. In a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday, ten different organizations including think tanks, labor unions, and public interest groups, called for new rules aimed at snatching short-term bonuses away from executives responsible for long-term rot. “The premise… Keep Reading

Tor Users Beware: D.O.J. Advances Rule that Could Crack Them Open to U.S. Spooks

An obscure rule change to Department of Justice criminal procedures quietly advanced through the agency on Monday, despite concerns that it will drastically increase the FBI’s power to pry into computers of individuals who have not been accused of doing anything wrong. In an 11-1 vote, the Judicial Conference Advisory Committee approved of changes to Rule 41, which centers on the power of judges to issue search warrants on electronic devices outside their jurisdiction. The rule change would allow law enforcement to hack into computers… Keep Reading

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