Top Stories
Federal Prosecutors Charge 8 in $45 Million ATM Scam
At least eight men involved in the New York scheme were indicted by a federal prosecutor, including their suspected ringleader, who was killed in the Dominican Republic last month. Local authorities say the man, Alberto Yusi Lajud-Peña, was gunned down by others involved in the robberies over how to divvy up the stolen money. The “cashers” were allowed to keep 20% of the haul.
Authorities have not yet revealed who they think are the masterminds of the international ATM scheme. read more
U.S. Government Orders 3D Gun Designer to Remove Blueprint…Good Luck
U.S. officials have ordered the company behind a new type of plastic handgun that uses 3D printers to remove its designs from the Internet. But that likely won’t stop the distribution of the information.
Defense Distributed, which created the single-shot “Liberator” weapon, put up the designs on its website—which were downloaded 100,000 times in just two days.
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As Stock Market Reaches Record Highs, Americans Owning Stock Drops to Record Low
Gallup’s annual Economy and Finance survey, conducted April 4-14, found that only 52% of Americans currently are playing the market. That’s the lowest rate since at least 1998, when Gallup began tracking stock ownership. Even that figure is deceptive because about half of Americans who do own stock do so only through pension funds, mutual funds and other accounts they don’t control. read more
Black Voter Turnout Rate Surpassed White Voters for First Time in 2012
About 66% of eligible blacks voted in the 2012 election, compared with 64% of eligible whites. Blacks overtook whites because 1.8 million more African-Americans voted in 2012 than 2008, while the number of white voters dropped by two million, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Last year, African-Americans overwhelmingly voted for President Barack Obama, with 93% supporting his reelection.
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U.S. Has Highest Mortality Rate for Newborns of any Industrialized Country
Save the Children blames some of the problem on babies being born too early in the U.S., where the preterm birth rate (1 in 8 births) is one of the highest in the industrialized world.
Another contributing factor is teen births. The U.S. has the highest teenage birth rate of any industrialized country. “Teenage mothers in the U.S. tend to be poorer, less educated, and receive less prenatal care than older mothers." read more
Chief of Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention Unit Charged with Sexual Assault
Less than 1% of the 26,000 military sexual assaults in 2012 have, to date, resulted in convictions.
Of special note in the Pentagon report is the fact that only 38% of military servicewomen who reported their sexual assault to superiors did not suffer retaliation for having done so.
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Supreme Court is more “Corporative” than Conservative
After reviewing the court cases, researchers ranked 35 justices who served on the court during the span in question. The ranking revealed that five of the current court’s members made the top nine most likely to vote in favor of business interests since the mid-1940s. Samuel Alito placed first, Roberts second, Clarence Thomas fifth, Anthony Kennedy sixth and Antonin Scalia ninth. read more
Republican-Led State Governments Revive Pre-Civil War Nullification
“Nullification” says states don’t have to listen to Congress, or the U.S. Supreme Court, on laws state governments deem unconstitutional. In South Carolina, a nullification bill deems President Barack Obama’s health care reform law “null and void.” It criminalizes its implementation, and allows the state attorney general “to restrain” any person who is believed to be causing harm with the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. read more
U.S. Oil Supplies Reach 82-Year High
Next time you grumble about the high price of gasoline, consider this surprising fact: The U.S. is awash in a glut of crude oil, with inventories at their highest level since the government began keeping monthly data in 1931.
Although the price of crude oil is down, consumers should not expect much of a price cut at the gas pump, thanks to continued, although slowing, demand worldwide and the effects of speculation.
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Regulation Loophole Exempted Texas Fertilizer Plant From Stringent Inspections and Rules
West Chemical and Fertilizer had enough anhydrous ammonia, a highly volatile gas that attacks the eyes, skin and respiratory system, to require it to follow this OSHA standard.
However, the standard contains what is known as the “retail exemption.” According to OSHA, a fertilizer facility can avoid these extra requirements as long as more than half of the company’s sales are to end users (i.e. farmers). read more
Americans Favor Video Surveillance in Public Places—But Not Infringements on Civil Liberties
In the Time/CNN survey, 61% said they are more concerned about the government enacting new anti-terrorism policies that restrict civil liberties as opposed to 31% who are more concerned about the government failing to enact strong new anti-terrorism policies. A majority supported law enforcement monitoring of Internet discussions in chat rooms and other forums, but opposed expanded government monitoring of cell phones and email. read more
Pentagon Runs Data through Chinese Satellites in Spite of U.S. Security Warnings
“Is this risky? Well, since the satellite was openly contracted, they [the Chinese] know who is using which transponders. And I suspect they’re making a copy of all of it,” Cheng told Wired. He noted that even the encryption technology used to protect the data may reveal U.S. security methods to the Chinese.
Another point of concern: What if the Chinese decide to suddenly cutoff the U.S. military from using Apstar-7, such during a critical time or political crisis?
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CIA Wasted Millions of Taxpayer Dollars on Cash to Afghan Leader
Those close to Karzai said the cash went to pay off warlords, lawmakers and others whom the president courted for support. Karzai shrugged off the controversy, noting that his Office of National Security still receives monthly cash payments from the CIA. Later, his office issued a statement that some of the money was used to treat wounded soldiers, but others suggested that it wasn’t wounded soldiers who were receiving “treats.” read more
Obama Expands Wiretap Authority to Cover Finance, Healthcare and Other Industries
When one conspires to violate federal law, it helps to have a government agency or two as one's co-conspirators when law enforcement comes poking around, as telecom giant AT&T and others learned recently when the Defense Department (DOD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) successfully pressured the Justice Department (DOJ) to agree secretly not to prosecute blatantly illegal wiretaps conducted by AT&T and other Internet service providers at the request of the agencies. read more
CO2 Emissions Level Drops to 18-Year Low
About 30% of the nation’s electricity is now generated from natural gas, compared to 16% in 2000. Meanwhile, coal-based electricity is down to 38% from 52% in 2000. There has also been a 3% rise in the production of energy from renewable sources, such as wind and solar.
David Crane, CEO of NRG Energy, told the Wall Street Journal’s ECO:nomics conference: “Natural gas is in the process of wiping out the coal industry, and it’s wiping out the nuclear industry quicker than we thought.”
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Richest 7% Get Richer; Poorest 93% Get Poorer
Among the richest 7% of Americans, their mean net worth increased 28% from 2009 to 2011, while the mean net worth of households in the lower 93% dropped by 4%, according to a Pew Research Center report.
Household wealth is defined as the sum of all assets, such as home, car, 401(k), and stocks, minus all debts, such as mortgage, car loans, credit card debt and student loans. read more