Top Stories
Cleanup of Radioactive Bomb Waste in South Carolina: The Endless Project
It has been 17 years since the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) began cleaning up the Cold War-era nuclear weapons plant, Savannah River Site, in South Carolina, and at the current pace, it may be another 30 years before the work is completed.
That fact does not sit well with state officials who are now threatening to levy an enormous fine on DOE for not keeping to its original deadline of fixing the mess by 2023.
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U.S. Army Admits to Software Piracy, Pays $50 Million
The Army decided to expand the deal and purchased licenses for five servers and several thousand workstations, as well as annual maintenance.
But by 2008, company officials realized the Army was using the software on more servers and workstations than it had paid for. In total, the service had installed the programming on at least 98 servers and 11,000 computers.
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Congress has Passed Barely One Law a Week in 2013
Of the 52 measures that cleared both houses this year, just 44 are considered “substantive,” with the other eight being commemorative or ceremonial—like naming a subsection of federal tax code after former Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and naming a bridge across the Mississippi River between Illinois and Missouri after baseball legend Stan Musial. read more
Obama Administration Seeks to Limit Non-Profits’ Political Activity
The Obama administration has decided to limit the scope of big-money campaign operations that until now have enjoyed tax exemptions while doling out enormous sums in recent elections.
New regulations crafted by the Department of the Treasury would prevent prominent nonprofit groups like Crossroads GPS, created to support Republicans, and the Democratic-allied League of Conservation Voters from claiming some of their activities as part of their work as “social welfare” organizations. read more
Pentagon Launches Bio-Defense Drug Program, Defying Expert Advice and Wasting Billions
The Pentagon has decided to launch its own costly bio-defense drug program, despite a similar effort already underway at another federal agency and despite the recommendations of a panel of experts to avoid taking such action.
Defense officials are financing the construction by diverting monies from other military equipment designed to combat chemical or biological weapons.
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Pentagon Escapes Serious Oversight of Foreign Military Aid
Another requirement in the bill calls for the administration to publish foreign aid information on a country-by-country, program-by-program basis on the website, foreignassistance.gov.
However, the State Department can waive the transparency requirements on grounds of U.S. national interests or to protect the “health or security” of another country.
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How Often are Law Enforcement Officers Drunk on the Job?
In Lebanon, Ohio, (pop.: 20,033), for example, cops and firefighters can work with a .04 blood alcohol level. Under Ohio law, drivers under 21 can be ticketed for drunk driving for blood alcohol content above .02—meaning an officer could write a ticket to someone more sober than he or she is. read more
Privacy Concerns Debated as FAA Lays Out Rules for Domestic Drone Operations
The federal government has unveiled new rules governing the use of drones in U.S. airspace, sparking debate over how the technology can be employed without compromising Americans’ privacy.
The new regulations unveiled by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were produced so that Washington can move forward with testing drones at six sites across the country.
The testing sites will be operated by private contractors still to be determined. read more
News Photographers Protest Government Control of Photos of Obama
News photographers have been banned from events like Obama meeting with former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at an outdoor lunch, and his meeting with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators. In both cases, White House staff took their own photographs and posted them online. read more
Some Veterans Hospitals Engage in Cover-ups to Hide Delays Leading to Patient Deaths
Most startling, perhaps, is that the problems at Dorn had been identified by the VA two years ago and Congress appropriated $1 million, at the VA’s request, to fix them. Yet, according to documents reviewed by CNN, only a third of those funds were used for their intended purpose. Meanwhile, the waiting list continued to grow, reaching 3,800 as of December 2011. read more
U.S.-Afghan “Breakthrough”: Troops Stay 10 More Years and Allowed to Raid Afghan Homes if Obama Apologizes
After months of negotiations between Washington and Kabul, Afghanistan’s top leader, President Hamid Karzai, reportedly signaled to the U.S. that he would support a continuation of the American military mission in his country beyond next year, and even accept U.S. Special Forces raiding private homes.
But Karzai wanted something first: a letter from President Barack Obama apologizing for the harm that U.S. forces have brought on Afghan civilians over the past 12 years.
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Judge Orders Homeland Security to Release Details for Shutting Down Wireless Networks
The federal government must release documents explaining how, when and why it might decide to shut down the nation’s wireless networks because of a “national crisis,” U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled last week. Boasberg added that the Government’s only recourse—aside from an appeal to the D.C. Circuit—is to get Congress to change the FOIA. The judge ordered DHS to release SOP 303 within 30 days. read more
3 of 4 Americans Approve of Raising Minimum Wage
An overwhelming majority of Americans support efforts to raise the minimum wage, according to a new national poll.
Gallup says 76% of respondents to a survey conducted November 5-6 back a plan to increase the minimum wage from the current $7.25 to $9 an hour.
A similar percentage (69%) said they would also support a bump to $9/hour plus automatic increases based on the inflation rate.
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TSA Behavior Detection Technique Deemed Not Much Better than “Chance”
The procedure involves TSA officers spotting passengers who appear suspicious, and then engaging them in conversation to make a further determination as to their potential as a threat. “TSA has yet to empirically demonstrate the effectiveness of the program despite spending about $900 million on it since 2007,” Steve Lord, who directed the investigation for the GAO, told the Associated Press. read more
Why are Companies that Support Anti-American Terrorism Given Pentagon Contracts in Afghanistan?
ZMTL is not the only Afghan contractor thought to be playing both sides of the war. In fact, Sopko estimates that over the past five years more than $150 million in contracts and subcontracts has gone to companies and individuals accused of assisting terrorist groups. read more
Only 3% of 2.4 Million Stop-and-Frisk Incidents in New York Led to Convictions
Officers stopped about 2.4 million individuals between 2009 and 2012, and arrested 150,000 (6%)—of whom only half were found guilty or pleaded guilty, according to a report (pdf) by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office.
Two percent of those arrested – or 0.1% of all stops – led to a conviction for a violent crime, and only 2% of arrests led to a conviction for possession of a weapon. read more