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

Author

Sam Sacks - page 69

Sam Sacks has 859 articles published.

Guantanamo Hearing Reveals Thorny New Legal Issues, Healthcare Crisis

The aging population of prisoners and the expiration of the 2001 law that authorized the War on Terror are increasing concerns to those overseeing the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, according to a Pentagon official’s congressional testimony. The remarks during Thursday’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing came from Brian McKeon, the Principal Deputy Under Secretary Of Defense For Policy, and run counter to assertions made by administration officials last year who contended that ongoing counter-terrorism activities, including prisoner detention, are legal under the president’s Constitutional… Keep Reading

FCC Commissioners to Begin Poring Over Proposed Net Neutrality Rules This Week

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission announced on Wednesday that he would be distributing his proposal to ensure “Net Neutrality” to fellow commissioners this week, ahead of a formal vote later in the month. In an op-ed published in Wired, FCC chief Tom Wheeler said, “I am proposing that the FCC use its Title II authority to implement and enforce open internet protections.” Wheeler was referring to a mechanism authorized under of the Commutations Act that would give the FCC the ability to more… Keep Reading

Ten Minutes Into Hearing, Future Pentagon Boss Defies Obama

After only a few questions into his nomination hearing, Ashton Carter made several eyebrow-raising statements that provide ammunition to hawkish conservatives opposed to the Obama administration. Tapped to replace outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Carter appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday to discuss how he would run the Pentagon. It didn’t take him long to belie one of President Obama’s key talking points. Speaking about “very real dangers” in his opening statements, Carter noted “an ongoing war in Afghanistan.” At the end… Keep Reading

Lies, Fraud, Financial Calamity, But No Jail Time for S&P Execs

A major perpetrator of fraud in the run up to the financial crisis admitted to misleading investors on Tuesday, but won’t face any further prosecution according to a settlement deal with the Department of Justice. Standard & Poor’s Financial Services, or S&P, agreed to pay roughly $1.4 billion in fines stemming from the company’s role in inflating the credit ratings of billion of dollars of junk investments. Those financial vehicles included mortgage-backed securities and collateralized debt obligations, which helped to inflate the real estate bubble… Keep Reading

FBI Continues to Thwart Surveillance Oversight & Whistleblower Retaliation Investigations

The Department of Justice Inspector General slammed ongoing obstruction by the FBI that he says is making his job more difficult and hindering two whistleblower retaliation investigations. “We continue to face challenges in getting timely access to information from Department components,” testified Michael Horowitz on Tuesday at a House Oversight Committee hearing. Specifically, he said the FBI is withholding from his office documents related to grand jury records, electronic surveillance, and Fair Credit Reporting Act information. Horowitz said that his investigators have eventually received sought-after… Keep Reading

GOP Readies Poison Pill for Federal Regulators

Legislation scheduled for a vote in the House this week would undermine consumer protections, take aim at fettering the most prominent institution created by post-2008 financial reform, and place new financial burdens on independent regulatory agencies, according to a report by the Congressional Budget Office. And although the bill is being touted by small government conservatives, the study, which was released Tuesday, also found that the bill would add $1.8 million annually to the deficit and foist additional costs upon business and consumers. Sponsored by… Keep Reading

To Chagrin of White House and Wall Street, “Audit The Fed” Bill Coming

Legislation that would force the nation’s central banking authority to submit to an examination more exhaustive than any it has ever faced is receiving renewed prospects on Capitol Hill, uniting the ends of the political spectrum, and forcing a White House, which often boasts of being transparent, into a corner. On Monday, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) threw his weight behind Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) bill to audit the Federal Reserve. “Glad to co-sponsor Sen Paul’s bill to #AuditTheFed,” he said in a tweet. Blunt joins… Keep Reading

As February Vote Looms, FCC Looks Beyond Net Neutrality

The Federal Communications Commission is set to consider new Net Neutrality rules at the end of the month, but there’s talk that it may be setting sights even higher than stopping “throttling” and “fast lanes.” The FCC may take on corporate sabotage of publicly-provided internet, too. Citing a senior FCC official, the Washington Post reported on Sunday that, in addition to voting on a Net Neutrality proposal on February 26th, commissioners will also look at a measure drafted by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to prevent… Keep Reading

Anostrud exerci tation

Borem 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 Jeros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi. Nam… Keep Reading

Senate Schedule More Crammed Following Keystone XL Fight

On Thursday evening, the Senate finally passed its Keystone XL bill, twenty-three days after the legislation was formally introduced. It was a long slog for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and one that will prove fruitless because in the end–even after allowing open debate and votes on several dozen amendments, he failed to muster up a veto-proof majority. The bill, per President Obama’s threats, will never become law. In addition to futility, the last month also served as a sign of things to come… Keep Reading

Feds Abandon Fight to Keep Census Spying Memos Secret

A several-year effort by the Department of Justice to keep secret a legal memo detailing what security state organs have access to census records is now over, and forthcoming documents should show the extent to which spies abused a sacred, constitutionally-mandated trust. In court documents filed on Thursday, the DOJ dropped its appeal in a multi-year long legal battle against the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group seeking the release, through a Freedom of Information Act request, of opinions on census access from the… Keep Reading

1 … 67 68 69 70 71 … 79
Go to Top