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Sam Sacks - page 73

Sam Sacks has 859 articles published.

Cuba Policy Shift Could Receive Boost From Big Ag

Senators still apprehensive about the White House’s rapprochement with Cuba may soon be swayed by a team of heavyweight lobbyists who announced their intentions to smash the half-century old embargo. The newly-formed United States Agricultural Coalition for Cuba (USACC), comprised of more than two dozen giants in agribusiness including Cargill, issued a press release on Thursday promising to “actively engage to end the long-standing embargo.” “We will achieve our purpose by advancing a constructive dialogue in the United States on U.S.-Cuba relations,” the group said… Keep Reading

Obama Community College Plan Could Mirror Healthcare Fight

The President announced a new proposal Thursday that is, perhaps, the most progressive initiative of his administration. And if the fight over healthcare reform is any indication, it will draw the ire of Republicans in Congress, despite inspiration for the idea coming to the White House from a deeply red state. President Obama said that on Friday he will officially unveil a program that will give all Americans conditional free access to a two-year community college. “Put simply, what I’d like to do is see… Keep Reading

In Passing Keystone XL, Senate Committee Literally Votes Down Science

Today, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved legislation to force construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. It was marked-up in a 13 to 9 vote. All Republicans supported the measure. They were joined by a lone Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.). But before passage, the Committee had to address an amendment proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that would compel Congress to agree that anthropogenic climate change isn’t a hoax. “This is the Energy Committee of the United States Congress, so we… Keep Reading

Pentagon Moves to Reduce Military Footprint In Europe, Still Maintains Massive Force Presence

Citing a climate of austerity, the Department of Defense announced it will carry out a number of base closures and realignments across the Atlantic that, it says, will save the department roughly a half billion dollars annually. More than 60,000 US troops will still remain on the continent – a contingency that Pentagon officials claim is “absolutely vital” to national security. A poll released by Rasmussen in May 2014 showed that 39 percent of likely voters want US troops to remain in Western Europe. Thirty-six… Keep Reading

Historic Net Neutrality Vote Scheduled For February, Public Interest Group Urges Caution

Speaking at the Consumer Electronic Show, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said a final vote on new Net Neutrality rules will happen next month, and suggested it could include a major reclassification of internet service. But some skeptics are withholding their elation. “We’re going to propose rules that say that no blocking, no throttling, [no] paid prioritization, all that list of issues, and that there is a yardstick against which behavior should be measured. And that yardstick is ‘just and reasonable,’” Wheeler told convention-goers… Keep Reading

New Republican Congress Moves to Increase Deficit By Bailing Out Greedy Employers

In their first week in session, Republican House members will vote on legislation that exempts employers from having to provide healthcare to a number of their workers. While they have argued that the bill is based on smart economics, the Congressional Budget Office said it will add tens of billions of dollars to the national deficit. The bill, known as the Save American Workers Act, increases how many hours Americans have to work before they qualify or employer-sponsored health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care… Keep Reading

After “Charlie Hebdo” Attack in Paris, Senators Rush to Undermine Defense Reforms

American lawmakers took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to express sympathy with the victims of the grisly attack on a satirical Parisian publication. But some rushed to use the “Charlie Hebdo” tragedy to criticize efforts to reform draconian national security policies. . “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, the families, and the French people in the wake of this horrendous attack,” said Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) in the first of a series of tweets on the issue. “Here at home, we must use… Keep Reading

The White House Issues Timid Keystone Veto Threat, Opens Possibility of Backdoor Approval

The White House’s carefully-worded veto threat on Tuesday against pending legislation to greenlight construction of the Keystone XL pipeline could leave environmentalists concerned. When pressed if the White House’s veto is based on an objection to the project itself, Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the President will “withhold broader judgment” on the pipeline, but opposes Congress’ move to inject itself in deliberation. “The concern that we have right now is principally on the idea that this piece of legislation would undermine what has traditionally been,… Keep Reading

While Some Lawmakers Are Sworn in Today, Others Can Officially Cash Out

The start of the 114th Congress means new members will be busy settling into their Capitol Hill offices. It also means a whole new batch of former lawmakers can cash out and settle on K Street. Officially, that is. Lobbying restrictions on more than 100 former lawmakers and staff expired this week, but a report released on Tuesday by the Sunlight Foundation and the Center for Responsive Politics shows that several former Hill staffers have jumped the gun and are already peddling influence around town.… Keep Reading

Border Patrol Hiding Costs of Ineffective Drone Program

The deployment of surveillance drones along the periphery of the United States was supposed to revolutionize border security. But nearly a decade and hundreds of millions of dollars into this endeavor, a government watchdog says it’s not working and federal officials have been burying the program’s failures. On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general released an audit of the US Customs and Border Unmanned Aircraft System Program. The study found that “CBP has invested significant funds” in using drones that have “not achieved… Keep Reading

Amid Growing Doubts, White House Rejects Calls to Release Sony Hack Evidence 

The White House’s claim that North Korea is responsible for last month’s cyber attack on Sony has been met with skepticism in recent weeks, but the administration on Monday denied requests to publicly release the evidence implicating Kim Jong Un’s regime in the crime. Speaking to reporters on Monday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest suggested that releasing the evidence collected by the FBI would threaten national security. “Obviously what they’re dealing with here is something that’s pretty sensitive,” he said. Earnest added that making… Keep Reading

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