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

Tag archive

newswire - page 15

U.S. Government Increasingly on Hook for Non-Bank Mortgages, Despite Lack of Regulators and Preparedness

by

Ginnie Mae has struggled to keep tabs on the rapid growth of the lightly-regulated non-bank mortgage market. The wholesale mortgage guarantor’s unpreparedness may leave it struggling “to immediately respond to increased risks posed” by recent industry changes, according to a report published Monday by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) inspector general. “As a result, Ginnie Mae may not identify problems with issuers in time to prevent default,” the report warned. Ginnie Mae guarantees payments by issuers of certain mortgage-backed securities (MBS) to…

Keep Reading

Trump Creates Legal Chaos With Introduction of New Travel Ban

by

The US Supreme Court cancelled an upcoming hearing on the legality of the Trump administration’s Muslim travel ban, one day after the White House introduced a more sweeping, and punitive, measure. Arguments set for next month were removed from the high court’s calendar on the concerns that the President’s new executive order renders the case “moot.” Issued on Sunday evening, an updated travel ban—now in its third iteration—adds more countries to the restricted list, and proposes keeping the prohibitions in place indefinitely. Trump’s prior orders…

Keep Reading

Latest Local Official to Defy ICE Detention Requests Tells Trump Admin to Get a Warrant

by

The struggle over immigration policy between the Trump administration and local officials turned to New England this week. A county sheriff in Maine became the first in the state to announce he wouldn’t honor Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests, according to the Associated Press. Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce revealed the decision in a letter last week to ICE officials. In interviews with local media on Wednesday, Joyce explained that he had concerns about the constitutionality of ICE operations. “Let’s say that the case…

Keep Reading

Federal Court: No Constitutional Right to Data Security

by

Victims of the massive data breach at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) have no legal recourse, according to a DC federal court ruling this week. The decision cuts down a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of some of the 21 million Americans who had their names, addresses, and social security numbers exposed in a cyber intrusion against OPM in 2015, allegedly by Chinese hackers Those affected were primarily current, former, and prospective government employees. Interest groups and labor organizations, on their behalf, are seeking…

Keep Reading

Day After Trump’s Threats to “Totally Destroy North Korea,” UN Members Sign Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty

by

A signing session at the United Nations inched the world closer to a first-of-its-kind nuclear weapons ban. Besieging the effort, however, is the nuclear-armed world. As General Assembly proceedings continued in New York on Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres convened more than fifty nations to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Absent from the ceremony were nations already in possession of nukes: the US, Russia, China, the UK, France, Israel, Pakistan, India, and North Korea. Nuclear-armed countries also declined to participate in…

Keep Reading

Warren, Gillibrand, Brown Echo Canadian Call to Scrap Union Busting “Right to Work” Laws During NAFTA Talks

by

Democratic lawmakers are throwing their weight behind a labor-empowering initiative amid moves by the Trump administration to renegotiate trade deals—ostensibly to benefit American workers. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) introduced legislation on Wednesday that would make it tougher for states to bust unions. The trio are seeking to outlaw what Republicans have branded as “right-to-work” laws. The rules allow individual workers to free-ride on collective bargaining agreements–by giving them the option of withholding fees from unions who represent them…

Keep Reading

Trump Uses UN Podium to threaten Nuclear Annihilation

by

President Donald Trump raised the possibility of launching high-stakes US military operations in three corners of the world on Tuesday, at his first address to the United Nations General Assembly. The president targeted North Korea, Iran and Venezuela–which he termed as “rogue regimes,” from the UN podium, in a speech reminiscent of George W. Bush’s pre-Iraq War “Axis of Evil” State of the Union. Trump’s harshest rhetoric was reserved for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. “The United States has great strength and patience, but if it…

Keep Reading

Turkish Weapons Deal Falls Apart in Aftermath of Erdogan Bodyguard Beatdown

by

A shipment of guns and ammunition from the US to Turkish security forces was formally cancelled, after Congressional review. The abrupt end of the weapons deal resulted from the fallout after a May incident in which bodyguards of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan severely beat a group of peaceful protesters in Washington, DC outside the Turkish embassy. Erdogan’s security force was the intended recipient of the $1.2 million arms cache from New Hampshire gunmaker Sig Sauer. According to the Associated Press, the company itself requested cancellation of…

Keep Reading

House Republicans Pass Wide-Reaching Anti-Immigrant Bill, With DACA Negotiations Ongoing

by

Amid negotiations between President Trump and Democrats over the status of Dreamers, Republican lawmakers passed legislation that could lead to wholesale crackdowns on immigrant communities. The House on Thursday advanced a bill hinged on the principal of guilt-by-association, marking for deportation of non-US citizens merely suspected of knowing those engaged in a wide list of activities. The “Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act” passed in a 233-175 vote largely along party lines, with 11 Democrats supporting the measure, and Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) opposing it.…

Keep Reading

Investigators’ Knives Out for Equifax After Massive Data Breach

by

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) became the first economic regulator to formally announce an investigation into Equifax’s handling of a cyber intrusion that left more than 100 million Americans vulnerable to identify theft. An FTC spokesman confirmed the probe one day after dozens of lawmakers urged the agency and other government bodies to look into the behavior of the credit reporting company before and after the breach was discovered. “The FTC typically does not comment on open investigations,” said Peter Kaplan on Thursday. “However in…

Keep Reading

Paul AUMF Repeal Garners Support From More Than One-Third of Senate, But Falls Short

by

An effort by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to sunset the broad legislation authorizing post-9/11 military operations failed on Wednesday. Paul’s bid, an amendment to the annual defense policy bill, was killed 61-36, in a motion brought to the Senate floor by Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), chair of the Foreign Relations Committee. Thirty-three Democrats and two Republicans–Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Dean Heller (R-Nevada)–joined with Paul, in a bid to keep his amendment alive. Thirteen Democrats voted for the Corker motion at the urging of Jack Reed (D-R.I.),…

Keep Reading

1 … 13 14 15 16 17 … 73
Go to Top