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SECRECY & THE SECURITY STATE - page 24

“Crisis Levels” of Medical Staff at More than 1 in 10 Federal Prisons, According to DOJ Watchdog

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The Department of Justice inspector general (OIG) warned on Monday that medical staffing is at “crisis levels” at more than ten percent of federal prisons. The comptroller cited an assessment made by a former Bureau of Prison (BOP) executive, noting that 12 out of 97 of the bureau’s correctional facilities have been “medically staffed at only 71 percent or below,” since September 2014. It also reported that in the same time frame, seventy-three BOP jails were understaffed against department policy, which dictates “the vacancy rate shall…

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FBI Facing Criticism For Plans to Turn Muslim Community Leaders Into Snitches

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The FBI will soon implement a new program to pressure teachers and religious leaders into serving as informants, an advocacy group is warning. In a statement issued late last week, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) slammed a new Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) program set to be unveiled by the Bureau in the coming days–one that will rely on local leaders to snitch on troubled youth under the disguise of counseling. The launch of the “Shared Responsibility Committees” (SRC) has been in the works since last Fall. It is the latest…

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GOP Congressman Worries About “Leftist” Uruguay Accepting Gitmo Detainees

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In their bid to keep the military prison at Guantanamo Bay open indefinitely, Republican lawmakers have already blocked detainee transfers to certain countries that are known hotbeds of extremist activity like Yemen. On Wednesday, one GOP lawmaker suggested we should go a step further and prevent releases to countries with politics that offend America’s right-wing sensibilities. During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) pressed the State Department’s Special Envoy for Guantanamo Closure, Lee Wolosky, about the late 2014 transfer of six Gitmo…

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Brussels Terror Attack Prompts Encryption Chatter on Capitol Hill

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The leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee speculated on the role that encrypted communications played in Tuesday’s attacks in Brussels that killed at least 31 people and injured more than 200. “We can be sure that terrorists will continue to use what they perceive to be the most secure means to plot their attacks,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the panel said in a statement hours after news of the bombings broke, before any details about the attackers were known. “We do…

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In 6-2 Vote, SCOTUS Rejects Challenge to Colorado Marijuana Legalization

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The Supreme Court dealt a blow on Monday to the War on Drugs when it voted 6-2 against considering a challenge to Colorado’s legalization of cannabis. Nebraska and Oklahoma had asked the court to declare unconstitutional the state’s move to permit the recreational use of marijuana. Only Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito believed that the Justices should have heard the case. “Whatever the merit of the plaintiff States’ claims, we should let this complaint proceed further rather than denying leave without so much as a word of…

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Shades of “Papers, Please” Policing at Trump Rally

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A US citizen who was arrested for protesting a Donald Trump presidential event in Arizona claims she was turned over by local officials to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) because of her Latina last name. Jacinta Gonzalez explained over the weekend what happened to her and two other activists as they tried to shut down roads outside the GOP frontrunner’s rally in Fountain Hills, Ariz. on Saturday. “I know that the two colleagues I was arrested with were released,” she said in a video posted…

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National Backlash Against Money in Politics Complicates Routine S.E.C. Nominations

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A bipartisan effort to pair two Securities and Exchange Commission nominees might get the thumbs down from Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee. Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J) said Tuesday they would consider voting against both picks due to the nominees’ skepticism of an initiative that would force companies to disclose campaign contributions. “I’m not satisfied with either answer. I’m putting you folks on notice,” Schumer told Lisa Fairfax and Hester Maria Peirce at their confirmation hearing. The former is a Democratic nominee; the…

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FOIA Modernization Bill Sets Stage for Clash Between Congress, “Most Transparent Administration in History”

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The Senate is expected to soon join the House in passing legislation that would modernize the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Lawmakers in the upper chamber who stopped the FOIA Improvement Act from advancing by unanimous consent appear to have walked back their objections, according to The Hill. The proposal is now expected this week to quickly pass the Senate. A version of the legislation was approved in January by the House. “The bill is one of the few pieces of legislation that could make…

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D.O.J. Steps Up Bid to Combat “Criminalization of Poverty” Highlighted by Ferguson Abuses

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Attorney General Loretta Lynch is calling for a crackdown on local courts that bog down defendants with steep fines and fees that often lead to jail time. The Justice Department announced Monday it will offer $2.5 million in grants to state and local jurisdictions that develop alternatives to financial penalties that inflict undue harm on already-impoverished citizens. The department’s Civil Rights Division on Monday also fired off a letter to chief judges and court administrators across all 50 states, laying out new principles that should be followed when…

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Pentagon Looks to Avoid Gitmo Situation in ISIL War; GOP Senators Hope to Recreate It

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The Department of Defense announced the transfer of an Islamic State (ISIL) detainee to the Iraqi government in what it described as a “template” for future prisoner dealings, lessening the chances that ISIL militants will receive Guantanamo Bay-style indefinite detentions. During a press briefing Thursday, Pentagon spokesperson Peter Cook informed reporters that Sulayman Dawud al-Bakkar, a captured ISIL chemical weapons engineer, had been handed over to Iraqi authorities earlier in the day. Dawud was picked up in Iraq last month by US forces in coordination with local soldiers. His…

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U.S. and Allies Responsible for at Least 1,000 Civilian Deaths in Counter-ISIL Campaign

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The US-led coalition against the Islamic State (ISIL) passed a gruesome milestone recently, according to a well-respected observer of the military campaign. United States forces and their allies have killed at minimum 1,000 civilians after a year-and-a-half of war against ISIL, according to Airwars.org. The non-profit said Wednesday that it made the assessment “based on credible public reports and confirmed Coalition strikes in the vicinity.” “[S]ome 166 of these incidents are currently assessed as having likely led to civilian deaths—with a reported range of 1,004…

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