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Sam Sacks - page 65

Sam Sacks has 859 articles published.

Tens of Millions Unknowingly Waive Right to Band Together to Sue Banks, CFPB Finds

Tens of millions of Americans bilked by financial companies unknowingly give away their right to ask a judge to grant them relief, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) found, in a report set to be released Tuesday—an investigation that increases the likelihood new proposed rules on banks could be imminent. Three-out-of-four credit card and bank account holders are unaware that their contracts with financial institutions include so-called “forced arbitration clauses”–fine print on contracts that prevents consumers from banding together to claw back extortionate charges in… Keep Reading

In Sanctioning Venezuela, U.S. Ties to Notorious Human Rights Abusers Come Under Scruity

On the same day that President Obama declared Venezuela a “national security threat, ” and sanctioned seven officials of the country over the alleged jailing of opposition figures, his State Department is renewing commitments to the authoritarian military dictatorship in Egypt. State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki announced that Secretary of State John Kerry would travel to Sharm el-Sheik this week to attend the Egypt Economic Development Conference. “The United States is committed to strengthening its long-term strategic and economic partnership with Egypt,” Psaki told reporters… Keep Reading

Abuses Against Muslims Make Up Entirety of Complaints Investigated by DOJ Inspector General Last Year

In just six months last year, the Department of Justice fielded over 450 complaints from individuals who alleged that their civil rights or civil liberties were abused by law enforcement officers, but the vast majority of those complaints went unanswered by its Inspector General. Of the trio of those that the department determined worthy of an investigation, according to an IG report released Monday, all three were brought by Muslims, who said they were discriminated against by the criminal justice system. Two of the investigations… Keep Reading

GOP Senators Attempt to Subvert Iranian Nuke Deal, Make Embarrassing Error

In what appears to be an egregious overstep of constitutional powers, Senate Republicans sent a letter to the Iranian government with the intent to kill any potential nuclear deal between Iran and the Obama administration – a move that makes war between Iran and the US more likely. Forty-seven GOP Senators signed on to the “Open Letter to the Leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” informing the government that “while the president negotiates international agreements, Congress plays the significant role of ratifying them,” and… Keep Reading

Bob Corker, Influential Republican on Foreign Relations, Supported Bergdahl-Taliban Prisoner Swap

Last Summer’s prisoner swap that freed Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was met with outrage by a number of Republican lawmakers who claimed President Obama broke the law, and compromised national security in freeing five Taliban prisoners that had been detained at Guantanamo Bay. But there was one powerful conservative who remained silent while his cohorts attacked, and newly released documents provide an explanation as to why. According to documents made public through a Freedom of Information Act request filed by investigative journalist Jason Leopold, on… Keep Reading

Punished Agent Who Protested FBI Surveillance “Abuse of Power” In Touch With Key Senator

Just after the Senate Judiciary Committee convened a hearing examining how the FBI handles whistleblower retaliation complaints, new allegations arose that the bureau is punishing another act of conscientious disclosure. “My office has obtained an internal FBI email to a whistleblower,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the committee chair, said Wednesday, at a panel that heard from government watchdogs, Department of Justice officials, and whistleblower advocates. The email Grassley referred to was also received by the Washington Times, which published a story Wednesday morning revealing how… Keep Reading

Disgraced Spy Chief Escapes Jail Time After Sharing Classified Documents with Mistress

The former CIA Director and retired commander of US fighting forces in Iraq and Afghanistan will avoid jail time despite pleading guilty to revealing highly sensitive state secrets to a biographer that he was sleeping with, and then lying about the whole matter to FBI agents. David Petraeus admitted to committing one misdemeanor charge of removing and retaining classified information. The prosecution in the case recommended two years probation and a $40,000 fine – hardly a slap on the wrist compared to the punishment meted… Keep Reading

Declassified Data Reveals Afghan Army Fighting Attrition, Pentagon Dodging Accountability

More than 40,000 Afghan soldiers have dropped out of their national fighting force in the last year, according to previously classified data released by the Defense Department after a public spat with a government watchdog. The Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction, John Sopko, released a supplemental report on Tuesday containing information about the US effort to support Afghanistan’s government in Kabul – roughly a month after the information was stripped out of a separate SIGAR report by DOD officials. The new data shows an… Keep Reading

FAA’s Weak Passwords Put U.S. Airspace at “Unnecessary Risk”

In the wake of last year’s Sony hack, lawmakers and security contractors have warned that increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks threaten national security, but a government watchdog said that a critical piece of US infrastructure is vulnerable to even the most elementary of malicious actors. The computer systems used by the Federal Aviation Administration to control the nation’s 19,000 airports and 600 air traffic control towers is at risk of “unauthorized access, use, or modification that could disrupt air traffic control operations,” according to a report… Keep Reading

On the Newspaper

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Senators to Probe FBI over Whistleblower Retaliations Complaints

After a number of government officials expressed concern with the FBI’s treatment of whistleblowers, Senators on the Judiciary Committee have scheduled a hearing to look into the issue more closely. Titled, “Whistleblower Retaliation at the FBI: Improving Protections and Oversight,” the hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, and will feature testimony from a David Maurer, the Department of Justice’s Director of Homeland Security and Justice Issues, DOJ Inspector General, Michael Horowtiz, and a long-time advocate for whistleblowers, Stephen Kohn, the executive director of the National Whistleblower… Keep Reading

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