Government

Feds Seek 40-50 Years For Convicted Crypto Scammer

Law & Crime reports: Prosecutors said they want fallen ‘crypto king’ Sam Bankman-Fried sent to prison for up to half a century, less than the probation department’s recommended 110 years and a lot more than what his defense attorney wants — 6 1/2 years max. In the government’s 116-page sentencing memo, prosecutors said a sentence of between 40 and 50 …

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Tomorrow: SCOTUS Hears Social Media “Censorship” Case Brought By Anti-Vaxxers, GOP Attorneys General

USA Today reports: After Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested without evidence that baseball legend Hank Aaron’s death in 2021 was caused by a COVID-19 vaccine, the Biden administration pounced. “Wanted to flag the below tweet and am wondering if we can get moving on the process for having it removed ASAP,” the digital director for the White House’s COVID response …

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SpaceX Has $1.8 Billion Deal To Build US Spy Satellites

Reuters reports: SpaceX is building a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a classified contract with a U.S. intelligence agency, five sources familiar with the program said, demonstrating deepening ties between billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s space company and national security agencies. The network is being built by SpaceX’s Starshield business unit under a $1.8 billion contract signed in 2021 …

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Feds Locate Person Behind Swatting Of Biden Officials

CBS News reports: Federal agents have located a person of interest in over 100 swatting calls, which included calls targeting Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure and Security Agency Director Jen Easterly and other senior Biden administration officials, according to law enforcement officials. Officials say the person of interest lives in Serbia; charges have not yet been filed, but …

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SCOTUS Limits Social Media Blocks By Govt Officials

USA Today reports: A unanimous Supreme Court on Friday defined when the personal social media account of a public official is a government action, trying to settle whether constituents can be blocked from commenting or from following those accounts. A public official may block constituents, the court said, unless the official had the power to speak on the government’s behalf …

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FCC: Cable Providers Must Disclose “All In” Price In Ads

Deadline reports: The FCC passed new rules that will require cable and satellite providers to clearly disclose the “all in” price of subscriptions in promotional materials. “The advertised price for a service should be the price you pay when your bill arrives,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said. “It shouldn’t include a bunch of unexpected junk fees that are separate from …

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SEC Accuses Musk Of “Distorting” Twitter Investigation

Engadget reports: The SEC officials investigating Elon Musk over his handling of the Twitter takeover seem to be growing more and more impatient with his legal antics. The two sides have been locked in a dispute over Musk’s refusal to testify in the investigation. Now, in a new filing, the SEC accuses Musk of trying to “misrepresent” the regulator’s investigation. …

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House Lawmakers Pass Ban On TikTok In 352-65 Vote

CNN reports: The bill’s fate is less than clear in the US Senate, where there is no companion bill. The Democratic chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, Sen. Maria Cantwell, has made no firm commitment to advance the proposal. “I will be talking to my Senate and House colleagues to try to find a path forward that is constitutional and …

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LIVE VIDEO: House Votes On Bill That Could Ban TikTok

The Hill reports: The House is expected to pass a bill Wednesday presenting an ultimatum to the ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok. Under the measure, the company would have to sell the popular video platform or else face a ban in the U.S. Former President Trump, who attempted to ban TikTok in 2020, has nonetheless come out against …

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TODAY: House Votes On Bill To Ban TikTok Nationwide

CNN reports: The House is expected to vote Wednesday on a bill that could lead to a nationwide ban against TikTok, a major challenge to one of the world’s most popular social media apps that comes as former President Donald Trump has signaled opposition to a ban. The bill would prohibit TikTok from US app stores unless the social media …

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Mandate For AM Radios In All Cars Moves Closer

Inside Radio reports: Questions remain about the legislative prospects for a bill that would require AM radio in vehicle dashboards. But if it does come to a vote in the House, the radio industry can rest assured that it will pass. After a day of Capitol Hill lobbying by broadcasters, several lawmakers joined the list of backers of the AM …

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DOJ Launches Probe Into Boeing Max Door Blowout

CBS News reports: The Justice Department is investigating the Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines door blowout and whether anything that led up to, or contributed to it, could affect the deferred prosecution agreement aircraft manufacturing giant Boeing entered into with the Justice Department in 2021, a person familiar with the investigation confirmed to CBS News. As part of the agreement, which …

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House Advances Bill That Could Result In TikTok Ban

The Hill reports: The House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously advanced a bill Thursday that would require TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to divest the app or face a U.S. ban. The bill advanced out of committee with overwhelming bipartisan support just two days after it was introduced by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), the top lawmakers …

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House Approves Spending Bill To Avert Govt Shutdown

Reuters reports: The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed legislation funding a broad swath of the federal government through the fiscal year that began in October, as yet another threat of a partial shutdown looms. The House voted 339-85 for the bill with 83 Republicans in opposition. It now goes to the Senate for passage by Friday, before …

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CDC Drops Five-Day Isolation Guidance For COVID

CNN reports: People who test positive for Covid-19 no longer need to routinely stay away from others for at least five days, according to new guidelines from the CDC issued Friday. The change ends a strategy from earlier in the pandemic that experts said has been important to controlling the spread of the infection. The agency says it’s updating its …

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Senate Votes To Fund Government Through March 8

The Guardian reports: The Senate has passed a short-term funding bill following a House vote on Thursday evening, narrowly averting a partial government shutdown that was due to occur this weekend. Ahead of the Senate vote, the majority leader, Chuck Schumer, addressed the chamber floor, saying that he saw “no reason this should take a very long time”. The temporary …

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NYT: Short-Term Deal Struck To Avert Govt Shutdown

The New York Times reports: Congressional leaders said on Wednesday they had agreed to another short-term stopgap spending bill to head off a partial government shutdown at the end of the week, paving the way for a temporary path out of a stalemate that has repeatedly threatened federal funding over the past six months. The deal, initially floated by Speaker …

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Florida DOH Attacks “Politicizing” Of Measles Outbreak

The right wing Florida’s Voice reports: The Florida Department of Health scathed media outlets for false reporting and “politicizing” on new measles cases in multiple schools across the state. There have reportedly been at least 10 cases, and some have slammed the department and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo for urging parental discretion on determining whether to keep their child home …

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Feds Fine Family Dollar $41 Million For Rat Infestations

NBC News reports: Family Dollar Stores was this week ordered to pay $41.6 million for using a rodent-infested warehouse to distribute food, cosmetics and medical devices to more than 400 stores across the South. The largest criminal penalty of its kind comes after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation found “live rodents, dead and decaying rodents, rodent feces, urine, …

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Feds Sue To Block Merger Of Kroger And Albertsons

CBS News reports: The Federal Trade Commission on Monday sued to block a proposed merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons, saying the $24.6 billion deal could result in higher prices for millions of American consumers. The FTC filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Oregon, alleging that the deal is anticompetitive and could harm shoppers by boosting prices …

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