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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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Government Failing to Address “High-Risk Safety” Problems at Native American Schools

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The Bureau of Indian Affairs is shirking its responsibilities to protect schools for roughly 50,000 indigenous American students, a federal watchdog reported on Friday. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed that Indian Affairs inspectors last year failed to conduct reviews at 69 of the 180 agency-run schools, in defiance of federal policy that requires all facilities to be inspected annually. “As a result, Indian Affairs cannot effectively determine the magnitude and severity of safety and health deficiencies at schools,” GAO stated. The oversight agency’s own…

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U.S.-Europe Trade Deal Negotiator: “We Are Determined to Try to Push This,” Despite Presidential Election

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A prominent European Union envoy called for a sweeping trade liberalization deal between the US and the EU to be finalized before the next presidential election—one that is looking likely to give rise to a President skeptical of its benefits. European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom made the remarks about the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) on Wednesday in Washington. Talks on TTIP were launched in 2013. “We are determined to try to push this, if possible, to finalize it, being aware that there will…

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D.O.J. Loses Lindsey Graham in Encryption Fight

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One of the Senate’s fiercest counter-terrorism hawks just turned his back on the FBI in its public fight with Apple over consumer privacy. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who last December called on Silicon Valley to stop selling encrypted devices, expressed serious concern on Wednesday about the precedent the Department of Justice would set if it successfully compels Apple to break iPhone security features. “I was all with you until I actually started getting briefed by the people in the Intel Community,” Graham told Attorney General Loretta Lynch…

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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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Yuge Upset: Sanders Shocks Clinton (and the Pollsters) in Michigan

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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Tuesday night pulled off one of the biggest upsets in modern electoral history, claiming victory in the Michigan Democratic Primary after polls showed him trailing by double-digits heading into the contest. With 99 percent of the vote counted in the Wolverine State, Sanders bested the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, 50 to 48 percent. He collected the lion’s share of the 130 delegates up for grabs in the primary. Ahead of voting, data showed Clinton with a commanding lead…

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Utah Senator Last Remaining Holdout Blocking Flint Relief Package

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The number of US Senators blocking aid to the residents of Flint, Mich. and communities that might be afflicted by lead-contaminated drinking water shrunk to one on Tuesday. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) is now the last lawmaker standing in the way of the $250 million assistance program receiving a vote on the floor of the Senate. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) dropped his hold on the legislation Tuesday, The Hill reported. Presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) had also temporarily thwarted the bill, but backed off his…

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Secret Court Approves FBI’s Classified Changes to NSA Database Access

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The FBI has implemented new protocols that allegedly enhance privacy safeguards for Americans, when bureau agents search through the NSA’s massive intelligence databases for information. It can’t be confirmed, however, since details about the reported minimization procedures are classified. They were approved by the top-secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), which oversees sensitive spying operations, both domestic and abroad. US officials confirmed the changes to The Guardian in a report published on Tuesday. “Changes have been implemented,” an unnamed official told the paper. “We cannot comment further due to…

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GOP, Dem Lawmakers Call for Online Release of Reports Published for Congress

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Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and House have proposed making freely available thousands of reports produced annually for lawmakers. Sens. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), and Reps. Leonard Lance (R-N.J.) and Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) introduced legislation on Thursday that would direct the Congressional Research Service (CRS) to publish its reports online. The Federation of American Scientists, a non-partisan public policy institute that routinely publishes CRS reports notes that “most…are available to anyone who has access to a congressional intranet.” “Yet at the…

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Libya “Sounds like Washington,” Says U.S. Senator Who Oversees Foreign Policy

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A member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee compared the brutal civil war in Libya to partisan gridlock on Capitol Hill. “Let me see if I get this right,” Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) said during a hearing held Thursday on turmoil in the Mediterranean country. “Libya has a negative current account. They have this crushing debt that they have a growing difficulty in servicing. And they have grinding deadlock between two political factions.” He paused for a moment, before remarking: “Sounds like Washington, DC.” “The…

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