Government

DHS Raids Homes Of Sean “Diddy” Combs [VIDEO]

Los Angeles’s ABC affiliate reports: Homeland Security agents on Monday raided a Holmby Hills mansion associated with rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and his production company. The exact reason for the raid was unclear but Combs has recently been associated with legal troubles that include lawsuits over alleged sexual assaults and sex trafficking. HSI agents were conducting their operations in …

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Senate Approves Funding Bill To Avert Govt Shutdown

The Associated Press reports: The Senate passed a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills in the early morning hours Saturday, a long overdue action nearly six months into the budget year that will push any threats of a government shutdown to the fall. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The vote was 74-24. …

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House Approves Spending Bill To Avert Govt Shutdown

NBC News reports: The House voted 286-134 Friday to pass a sweeping $1.2 trillion government funding bill, sending it to the Senate just hours before the deadline to prevent a shutdown. All 100 senators will need to greenlight a vote to pass the bill before the midnight deadline. If that doesn’t happen, the government would be forced into a partial …

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Lawmakers Receive Threats Over Proposed TikTok Ban

The Washington Post reports: As Congress considers legislation that could ban TikTok in the United States, lawmakers are receiving a surge of threatening messages connected to popular video app. U.S. Capitol Police are investigating an “uptick” in reports of “threats and concerning messages” linked to the TikTok discussions, according to a law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of …

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DOJ To Sue Apple Over iPhone Antitrust Violations

Bloomberg News reports: The US Justice Department is preparing to announce an antitrust lawsuit against Apple Inc. Thursday, according to two people familiar with the matter The suit is expected to be filed in federal court in New Jersey, said one of the people. The US is accusing Apple, the world’s second-most-valuable tech company, of violating antitrust laws by blocking …

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EPA Issues Ban On Last Type Of Asbestos Still In Use

Ars Technica reports: The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday finalized a ban on the only type of asbestos still used in the US, chrysotile asbestos. This move was decades in the making. Chrysotile asbestos, aka “white asbestos,” is still imported, processed, and used in the US for diaphragms (including those used to make sodium hydroxide and chlorine), sheet gaskets, brake …

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Deal Struck To Fund DHS Through Rest Of FY 2024

The Hill reports: Congressional leaders have struck a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the remainder of fiscal year 2024, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to The Hill, closing out the six bills due by Friday’s shutdown deadline. Negotiators are still working out the details and legislative text of the DHS agreement, the source …

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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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