Tag Archives: feds

TEXAS: Feds Charge GOP Attorney General Ken Paxton With Fraud For Role In Tech Company Scam

From the Dallas Morning News: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday announced fraud charges against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and several others involved in promoting a north Texas tech company. Paxton and a former member of the board of Servergy, Inc., a north Texas tech firm, were charged with allegedly convincing others to buy stock in the …

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CIA Director John Brennan: We Will Never Waterboard Again Even If Ordered To By Trump Or Cruz

NBC News reports: CIA Director John Brennan told NBC News in an exclusive interview that his agency will not engage in harsh “enhanced interrogation” practices, including waterboarding, which critics call torture — even if ordered to by a future president. “I will not agree to carry out some of these tactics and techniques I’ve heard bandied about because this institution …

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NORTH CAROLINA: Obama Administration Considers Cutting Off Billions In Funding Over Anti-LGBT Hate Law

The New York Times reports: The Obama administration is considering whether North Carolina’s new law on gay and transgender rights makes the state ineligible for billions of dollars in federal aid for schools, highways and housing, officials said Friday. Cutting off any federal money — or even simply threatening to do so — would put major new pressure on North …

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Apple CEO Tim Cook Vows To Continue Fight Against Feds: We Have A Responsibility On Privacy [VIDEO]

MacWorld reports: On Monday, Apple chief executive Tim Cook positioned his company’s stance on protecting privacy as a patriotic duty. Cook addressed the ongoing iPhone privacy issue briefly as part of a presentation where Apple is expected to announce an new iPad Pro mini as well as a smaller iPhone. “We built the iPhone for you, our customers,” Cook said. …

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Threatening Letter Sent To Trump’s Son

CBS New York reports: Police and the FBI are investigating a suspicious piece of mail that was sent to Donald Trump’s son, Eric. Police were seen outside Eric Trump’s residence at 100 Central Park South early Friday morning. Authorities swarmed the building, known as Trump Parc East, on Thursday after sources told CBS News that a threatening letter was sent …

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ATLANTA: Federal Hate Crime Charge Considered After Man Pours Boiling Water On Gay Couple [VIDEO]

From Atlanta’s ABC affiliate: A young couple is recovering from severe burns after police say a man threw burning water on them — because they are gay. The victims told Channel 2’s Nicole Carr that they were sound asleep, resting after a long day at work, when they were attacked. “The pain doesn’t let you sleep. It’s just, like, it’s …

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TEXAS: Lambda Legal Wins Lawsuit Against Feds For Social Security Benefits For Lesbian Widow

Via press release from Lambda Legal: Today Lambda Legal announced the resolution of its lawsuit against the Social Security Administration (SSA) brought on behalf of Kathy Murphy, a Texas widow denied spousal benefits after the death of her wife, and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (the National Committee). “The Social Security Administration has finally adjusted Kathy’s …

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EEOC Files Lawsuits Seeking To Define Sexual Orientation Discrimination As Sex Discrimination

Via press release: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that it has filed its first two sex discrimination cases based on sexual orientation. The federal agency’s Philadelphia District Office filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania against Scott Medical Health Center, and, in a separate suit, in U.S. District Court for the …

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Apple CEO Tim Cook Denounces Federal Court’s Order To Hack iPhone Of San Bernardino Terrorist

Apple CEO Tim Cook today issued a lengthy public letter which forcefully denounces a federal court’s order that his company provide the means to hack the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino terrorists.  The Associated Press reports: Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook says his company will fight a federal magistrate’s order to hack its users in connection with the …

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25% Of Federal Workers: We’ll Quit If Trump Is Elected

Politico reports: About 1-in-4 federal employees would consider leaving their jobs if Donald Trump is elected president, according the results of a recent survey conducted by the Government Business Council. Overall, about 2-in-3, or 67 percent said they would not think about leaving the federal government if Trump becomes president, but 14 percent said they would and 11 percent said …

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Atheism Activist Cites Hobby Lobby In Lawsuit To Remove “In God We Trust” From US Currency

“In God We Trust” first appeared on US coins in 1864 and was added to paper currency in 1957 during the height of the red scare. Atheist activist Michael Newdow is trying again to put an end to it, but this time he’s using the Hobby Lobby tactic. Hemant Mehta reports at Friendly Atheist: The federal lawsuit, which was filed …

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FDA Lifts Lifetime Gay Blood Ban

The Associated Press reports: The nation’s three-decade-old ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men was formally lifted Monday, but major restrictions will continue to limit who can donate. The Food and Drug Administration said it is replacing the lifetime ban with a new policy barring donations from men who have had sex with a man in the previous …

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Pharma Douche Arrested For Securities Fraud

Whoa. Bloomberg Business reports: A boyish drug company entrepreneur, who rocketed to infamy by jacking up the price of a life-saving pill from $13.50 to $750, was arrested on securities fraud related to a firm he founded. Martin Shkreli, 32, ignited a firestorm over drug prices in September and became a symbol of defiant greed. The federal case against him …

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State Department Issues Worldwide Travel Alert

Via press release from the State Department: Current information suggests that ISIL (aka Da’esh), al-Qa’ida, Boko Haram, and other terrorist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks in multiple regions. These attacks may employ a wide variety of tactics, using conventional and non-conventional weapons and targeting both official and private interests. This Travel Alert expires on February 24, 2016. Authorities believe …

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Rand Paul: Maybe We Don’t Need The USPS [AUDIO]

Rand Paul wants a federal government “so small you can barely see it.” And part of that plan might include doing away with the USPS. Listen below. In related news, yesterday the Postal Workers Union endorsed Bernie Sanders.

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BREAKING: White House Backs Equality Act

The Washington Post reports: The White House endorsed legislation Tuesday that would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, plunging into the next front in the national battle over LGBT rights. Speaking to reporters, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the administration “has been reviewing for several weeks” …

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State Department To End Domestic Partners Benefits

Now that marriage equality is the law of the nation, the State Department has announced that it will phase out domestic partners benefits. Via the Washington Blade: Diplomatic and consular posts on Oct. 14 notified Foreign Service personnel that the State Department will begin to phase out the Same-Sex Domestic Partner program on Dec. 14. The SSDP will officially end …

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Feds Issue Formal Call For End To Ex-Gay Torture

A division of the US Department of Health and Human Services today issued a formal call for the end of so-called conversion therapy. Reuters reports: The report released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) comes less than a year after the Obama administration endorsed efforts to ban the practice, which aims to change a person’s …

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Alabama Probate Judge John Enslen: Let The Federal Government Issue All Same-Sex Marriage Licenses

Anti-gay Alabama probate Judge John Enslen wants his state’s Supreme Court to rule that only the federal government should have to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. AL.com reports: Enslen also asked that the Alabama justices issue an order declaring the state will only honor same-sex marriage licenses either issued by the federal government or a state that has a …

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State Department Invites Evan Wolfson To Help Marriage Battle In Three European Nations

Freedom To Marry may have already held its “going out of business” party, but founder Evan Wolfson still has marriage battles to fight. Via the Guardian: US embassies in Europe have invited an instrumental figure in the movement to legalize same-sex marriage to visit three countries where it is not yet legal. Evan Wolfson, founder of marriage equality campaign group …

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