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Hugely Popular Email Privacy Measures Derailed Again in Senate

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For the second time in two weeks, legislation to update a thirty-year old digital privacy law was yanked from consideration by a Senate panel—a sign that the bill, which passed the House 419-0, is dead in the upper chamber. The ECPA Amendments Act was slated to be marked up and voted on in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, but its co-sponsors withdraw the measure after fellow senators continued efforts to weigh it down with controversial amendments. ECPA refers to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act—a…

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Clapper: Spies Can Use Whatever Bathrooms They Damn Well Please

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The head of the US intelligence community waded into the very public culture war being waged over the LGBT rights. According to a press release issued Wednesday, the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told a conference of spies that they “have the chance to lead by example” on transgender issues. “So I’ll say without equivocation…in [intelligence community] facilities…you can use whatever restroom you feel comfortable and safe in,” Clapper said. He made the speech at the Fifth Annual Intelligence Community Pride Summit. The ceremonies applaud “officers for sharing their…

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Social Security Trustees Spark Fight, As Dems Decry Koch Bros. Ties to GOP Nominee

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Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday voted against the White House’s move to reappoint two Social Security Trustees. Lawmakers cited three decades of precedent and one nominee’s ties to think-tanks and his views on downsizing crucial welfare benefits. Republicans approved of the nominations—one from each party—in two separate votes, split 14-12 strictly along partisan lines. “As has been the case, I’m supporting the President on both these nominees,” a bemused committee chair, Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), noted at the conclusion of the meeting. “These…

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Clinton Takes California, Declares Herself Nominee; Sanders Eyes D.C.

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The biggest prize of the Democratic primary contest was awarded on Tuesday, with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claiming victory in California and the majority of pledged delegates in all 50 states. With 94 percent of the votes counted in the Golden State, Clinton was leading Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) 56-43 percent. Combined with her victories in New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota on the night, Clinton’s pledged delegate count ballooned to 2,168. She’s still shy of the 2,383 delegates, both pledged and superdelegates…

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While Considering New Spy Watchdog, Dems Lament Lack of Oversight at CIA

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Democratic Senators lodged complaints with the Obama Administration on Tuesday for not nominating a new inspector general to keep watch over the Central Intelligence Agency. Addressing the Senate Intelligence Committee during a hearing to consider Susan Gibson, the president’s nominee to head the IG desk at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) hit out at watchdog vacancies throughout the intelligence community. “This month,” Feinstein noted in prepared remarks, “the NSA inspector general will be stepping down and the CIA has been without a Senate-confirmed…

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Elizabeth Warren: Top House GOPer “Sprinting Toward Trump Towers” With Dodd-Frank Repeal

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The highest ranking Congressman overseeing banking regulation met with Donald Trump in New York on Tuesday, after unveiling a plan to repeal much of Dodd-Frank. House Financial Services Committee Chair Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) declined to go into the gritty details when asked about the meeting on Fox Business Channel. He said Trump “well-received the message” and is “interested in the policy.” “I’m not going to go into the blow-by-blow,” he said. Hensarling, who endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in the primary and is backing Trump…

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House Dems Blast Drug War-Boosting Bill Signed into Law Last Month By Obama

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A group of House Democrats blasted legislation signed into law last month by President Obama, saying it will expand Drug War-style punishments for low-level criminals. The lawmakers criticized the measure for exposing more people to mandatory minimum sentences, while “lowering the intent requirement” needed to prove a defendant conspired to import drugs into the United States. Before the Transnational Drug Trafficking Act of 2015 (TDTA) was signed into law, prosecutors had to demonstrate that the accused knew the drugs were destined for the US. “We…

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Yellen Chuckles When Asked if Trump Election Would Trigger Global Financial Collapse

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Fed Chair Janet Yellen laughed in response to a question about the possibility of a Donald Trump victory in November causing “an economic crash all over the world.” “I’m sorry, I’ve got nothing for you,” she said, while chuckling. “We’re very focused on doing our jobs, and we’ll see what happens.” Yellen was responding Monday morning to an audience member’s question after addressing the World Affairs Council in Philadelphia. The speech came as the national spotlight is on the Fed, with the central bank looking likely to…

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LIBOR Probe Snares More Suits

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The Department of Justice on Thursday announced indictments against two former traders for their role in manipulating a key interest rate that impacts more than $300 trillion in global financial contracts. Matthew Connolly and Gavin Campbell Black are facing ten conspiracy and wire fraud charges for working to manipulate LIBOR—the London Interbank Offered Rate—in order to increase profits for their employer, Deutsche Bank AG. Connolly was a director at the bank’s Pool Trading Desk in New York. Black served as a director for the bank in…

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U.S. Set to Spend Billions More Annually on Climate Change from Hurricane Damage Alone

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Climate change will eventually force the US government to spend billions more annually due to hurricane damage alone, according to a Congressional Budget Office report published Thursday. The influential legislative forecaster said the federal government currently spends $18 billion every year on hurricane recovery, but that amount, adjusted for inflation, will grow to $24 billion by 2075. Overall, the study predicted that hurricane damage will by 2075 account for $39 billion in all spending, public and private. The CBO said the US currently spends $28 billion on…

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C.F.P.B. Releases Payday Lending Rule, Calls for Credit Union-Style Services to Fill Void

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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray touted existing alternatives to payday lending on Thursday, as the agency released long-anticipated rules to curtail abusive loansharking. Cordray described the so-called “small-dollar” credit market as fundamentally broken, and said he hoped the proposed regulations would push the financial industry toward less predatory practices. “We are not intending to disrupt existing lending by community banks and credit unions that have found efficient and effective ways to make small-dollar loans to consumers that do not lead to debt traps…

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