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NSA Phone Data Collection Made No Difference to National Security
The independent panel members further stated that the “telephony meta-data program has made only a modest contribution to the nation’s security…and there has been no instance in which NSA could say with confidence that the outcome would have been different without the section 215 telephony meta-data program.” read more
Judge Chastises Obama Administration for Using “Secret Law” to Withhold Documents
The Obama White House has been ordered (pdf) by a federal judge to release a copy of an unclassified presidential directive after it tried to use “secret law” to keep it out of the hands of a government watchdog group.
U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle also admonished the administration for the “unbounded nature” of its claim and thinking it had a “limitless” view of its power to withhold presidential communications from the public.
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“Orwellian” NSA Phone Spying Probably Unconstitutional, Rules Outraged Federal Judge
“I cannot imagine a more ‘indiscriminate’ and ‘arbitrary invasion’ than this systematic and high-tech collection and retention of personal data on virtually every single citizen for purposes of querying it and analyzing it without judicial approval,” Leon wrote.
He described the agency’s spy technology as “Orwellian,” and added that “the author of the Constitution, James Madison...would be aghast” by the NSA’s work. read more
Members of Congress Get Paid Well for 28-Hour Work Week
For 2013, representatives in the U.S. House were in session for only 942 hours. That comes out to about a 28-hour work week in Washington.
Regardless of how many hours they worked, or how few bills they adopted, lawmakers received $174,000 in salary.
It wasn’t always this cushy for congressional members. Six years ago, the House logged 1,700 hours in session, nearly double the amount of this year’s total.
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Since Newtown Massacre, More States Have Loosened Gun Restrictions than Tightened Them Despite Most Americans Wanting the Opposite
A new CBS News poll shows 49% support stricter gun laws. Only 12% backed easing regulations, while 36% preferred keeping laws as they are.
An AllGov examination of The New York Times’ data revealed that 18 states approved changes that only loosened regulations; 12 states adopted laws that only tightened regulations; and 9 states passed laws that both loosened and tightened regulations. read more
FDA Phase-Out of Livestock Antibiotics is Only Voluntary and Partial
FDA officials claimed a voluntary approach would be the quickest way to implement the rules. Michael Taylor, the FDA’s top food safety official, told the media that making compliance mandatory would have created “legalistic, product-by-product regulatory proceedings that would take years to complete.” It is estimated that 23,000 Americans die every year from antibiotic-resistant infections. read more
As Homeowners become Renters, Poor Americans Spend more for Rentals
From 2001 to 2011, renters with very low incomes (those making less than $20,000 annually) increased in number by three million to 11.8 million, according to a report (pdf) by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard. During the same time period, the number of affordable apartments held steady at about seven million. In 2000, the share of renters paying more than 30% of their income for housing was 38%. By 2010, the share had risen to 50%.
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Major Tech Firms, Fearing Loss of Profits, Call for Reform of Government Surveillance; Obama Hedges
"I’ll be proposing some self-restraint on the N.S.A., and you know, to initiate some reforms that can give people more confidence,” Obama said last week on the MSNBC program “Hardball.”
However, the key phrase in Obama’s statement—“self-restraint”—implies that he has no intention of regulating the NSA and that the spy agency will still be free to do whatever it wants.
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Almost 1 in 3 Victims of Mass Killings are Younger than 18
Investigators also determined that 363 children died in mass killings—defined as those involving at least four victims in a single incident—comprising nearly one-third of all victims. Their average age was 8 years old and about three-quarters of them were killed by someone they knew: more than a third by a blood parent and about four in ten by stepparents, parents’ lovers or other family members. read more
39% of New York Bank Tellers Need Public Assistance
Bank tellers—whose median income is $24,100 ($11.59 per hour)—collect $105 million in food stamps, $250 million via the earned income tax credit and $534 million from Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, according to the report.
Meanwhile, median chief executive pay at American banks averages about $552,000, according to SNL Financial. read more
U.S. Drug Defendants Often Coerced into Pleading Guilty
The research showed that federal drug offenders convicted at trial in 2012 received sentences that averaged 16 years—triple the average of five years and four months for those who accepted a plea bargain. As a result of options facing them, 97% of defendants in these cases pleaded guilty. Consequently, federal drug trials are almost becoming a thing of the past. read more
America’s Public Libraries take on the NSA
In January 2002, the ALA came out forcefully against the threat to privacy as posed by the Patriot Act, drafting and releasing a resolution regarding the law’s infringement on the rights of library users. It is unknown whether any public libraries have been forced to share users’ data with the NSA—because these institutions are prohibited by the government from saying so. read more
NSA Can Track Every Cell Phone in the World, Collects 5 Billion Records per Day
After months of stories exposing one controversial NSA program after another, perhaps the biggest shocker yet has come to light: that the agency is hauling in five billion cell phone records a day, and that it can track any such device in the world.
“Analysts can find cellphones anywhere in the world, retrace their movements and expose hidden relationships among the people using them," reported The Washington Post. read more
Fighting Drug Take-Back Program, Big Pharma Says Dump Your Meds in the Trash
Dumping medicine in the trash is generally not advisable, and the Food and Drug Administration provides detailed instructions to consumers regarding the proper disposal of prescription drugs. It suggests using drug buy-back programs, but if those are not available, it recommends mixing the medicine with kitty litter or coffee grounds (soaking the mixture with water is advisable) prior to disposing of it in the garbage. read more
Lowering Corporate Tax Rate Unlikely to Create More Jobs
The report examined 60 large corporations and found that 22 of the 30 companies that paid the highest tax rates created nearly 200,000 jobs over a five-year period.
Meanwhile, those companies that paid little or no taxes actually laid off employees— more than 51,000 during that same period.
Verizon, the nation’s biggest wireless provider, earned $32 billion in U.S. profits over a four-year period and even received $951 in tax refunds—yet cut 56,000 employees from its payroll.
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Americans Have Stopped Trusting Each Other
The high level of distrust applies to day-to-day living, with the percentage whose level of trust is “just somewhat,” “not too much” or ”not at all” rising to 65% when handing a credit card or debit card to a clerk, 75% when dealing with drivers on the road, and 78% when meeting strangers on trips. read more