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Sam Sacks - page 70

Sam Sacks has 859 articles published.

Loretta Lynch’s First Test Will be HSBC

Assuming Loretta Lynch is confirmed as the next US Attorney General—a scenario that looks likely at this point–she may have to immediately back up promises she made during her confirmation hearing, and take on a misbehaving bank that has already defied her once before. When banking giant HSBC was fined $1.9 billion for laundering drug money and violating economic sanctions, the company agreed to system-wide reforms in order to avoid prosecution. That agreement was approved by Loretta Lynch, who oversaw the settlement as the US… Keep Reading

McCain Calls Peaceful Protesters “Low-Life Scum”

A Senate hearing on national security strategy was briefly interrupted by activists protesting the participation of former Secretary of State and accused war criminal Henry Kissinger before committee chair, John McCain (R-Ariz.) lashed out at them in an unusual display of public anger. Members of the group Code Pink, an anti-war organization based in Washington, DC, stood up before the hearing, carrying signs, and calling for war crimes charges against Henry Kissinger. Kissinger was called to testify before the panel alongside fellow former Secretaries of… Keep Reading

DEA’s “Cold Encounters” May Be the New “Stop & Frisk”

An anti-narcotic tactic used by the Drug Enforcement Agency on two black women—one of them a Pentagon lawyer—triggered an internal investigation into the practice. Used at train stations and airports to seize drugs and cash, “cold consent encounters” are being conducted without proper oversight or training, the Justice Department inspector general found. The weak checks on the tactic have raised internal concern that it could be used to violate civil rights. “Because of the potential sensitivity of cold consent encounters and searches, effective oversight of… Keep Reading

FBI Agent Slated to Speak with Man Who Thinks C.I.A. Chief is Saudi Agent

Hoping to prevent yet another “Steve Scalise moment,” a Muslim advocacy group is calling on the FBI to renege on plans to send an official to an “anti-Muslim hate group” event featuring a notorious Islamophobic guest speaker. The event, which is set to be held on Feb. 13 at St. Mary University’s Center for Terrorism, is scheduled to feature a man who thinks that the head of the CIA is a secret Muslim extremist. The symposium is being founded by Brigitte Gabriel, a woman who… Keep Reading

Lobbyists Bank an Oil-Soaked Super Bowl Ad To Advance Interests

This week witnessed a setback to Keystone XL pipeline legislation in the Senate, as Democrats prevented the bill from advancing with limited debate. But oily interest groups are taking the fight to a new venue to influence DC policymakers: the Super Bowl. On Wednesday, the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington, DC-based political watchdog group, picked up on a peculiar six-figure Super Bowl ad buy from the nation’s preeminent fossil fuel lobby, the American Petroleum Institute (API). The ad, which will only run only on Washington, DC’s… Keep Reading

Lynch Pledges Allegiance To Security State, Headed for Easy Confirmation

Tapped to be President Obama’s next Attorney General, Loretta Lynch mostly floated above Senators’ questions during her confirmation hearing on Wednesday. The few times she did speak bluntly, however, revealed her intentions to cater to the security state. The US Attorney in Brooklyn, Lynch appears headed for a swift confirmation as both sides of the aisle on the Senate Judiciary Committee praised her record and personal story, and mostly veered away from direct questioning and contentious debate. In response to the question du jour for… Keep Reading

U.S. Political Class Reluctant to Endorse SYRIZA

A week removed from a State of the Union Address that many liberals viewed as a rebuke against fiscal conservatism, the Obama administration is now offering only muted applause for a new Greek government that has become the spear tip of the anti-austerity movement in Europe. On Monday, the White House reacted tersely to the historic victory of the leftist Syriza Party and its Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who has vowed to cut off further ongoing austerity talks with technocratic members of international financial institutions.… Keep Reading

Lawmakers Caught Off Guard By Another Domestic Surveillance Program

Millions of US drivers are having their license plate data scooped up by a federal law enforcement surveillance system that tracks their movements as they buzz along major American highways, according to documents reviewed by the Wall Street Journal. The program, like other domestic surveillance systems revealed in recent weeks, was unknown to lawmakers in charge of overseeing the Justice Department. The documents show that technology used by the Drug Enforcement Agency to track vehicles along the Southern border has proliferated across the country in… Keep Reading

Petrol-Hawk Republicans Accuse White House of “Declaring War on Alaska”

One day after the White House proposed to designate millions of acres of pristine wildlife in northern Alaska as a wildlife sanctuary, GOP lawmakers from the state lashed out at the conservationist agenda, using rhetoric that hardly matches the reality of the administration’s actions. “This administration has effectively declared war on Alaska,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) speaking to reporters on Monday. On Sunday, the White House moved to designate more than 12 million acres of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, as “wilderness.”… Keep Reading

King Fond of Beheadings Honored with DOD Essay Competition

While managing a military campaign against the Islamic State and its penchant for decapitating hostages that has frightened so many, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is sponsoring a writing contest to honor another notorious beheader, the late king of Saudi Arabia. The Pentagon announced Monday that it is holding an essay competition honoring King Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz, who passed away last week. The competition was established by Gen. Martin Dempsey, and will be hosted by the National Defense University – a Pentagon… Keep Reading

Regime Change in Yemen, No Change in U.S. Drone Policy

The coup in Sanaa, and prospects of a new Houthi-led government are unlikely to deter US drone strikes in the country, according to comments made by the administration on Friday. When asked if there is any talk within the White House of pausing its targeted killing program following the forced resignation of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, spokesman Josh Earnest said he was “not aware of any discussions like this.” “This administration remains committed to pursuing a counter terrorism strategy against [al-Qaeda in the Arabian… Keep Reading

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