Government

Court: GA City Can Ban Confederate Flag From Parade

The Associated Press reports: A Georgia city did not violate the constitutional rights of a Sons of Confederate Veterans group when it banned the Confederate battle flag from its annual parade honoring veterans of American wars, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. Richard Leake and Michael Dean sued Alpharetta, an Atlanta suburb, in August 2019 after city officials said the …

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Manchin Not Budging On Biden’s $3.5T Spending Plan

The Hill reports: Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), a key moderate Democrat, said on Sunday that he can’t support President Biden’s $3.5 trillion spending plan. “We don’t have the need to rush into this and get it done within one week because there’s some deadline we’re meeting or someone’s going to fall through the cracks,” Manchin said on NBC’s “Meet the …

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FBI Releases Newly Declassified 9/11 Document

The Associated Press reports: The FBI late Saturday released a newly declassified document related to logistical support given to two of the Saudi hijackers in the run-up to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The document details contacts the hijackers had with Saudi associates in the U.S. but does not provide proof that senior Saudi government officials were complicit in …

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FAA Grounds Virgin Galactic Over July Flight Mishap

NBC News reports: The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that Virgin Galactic cannot launch anyone into space again until an investigation is complete into a mishap that occurred during July’s flight with founder Richard Branson. The ban came as Virgin Galactic announced plans to launch three Italian researchers to the edge of space in a few weeks. The FAA said …

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DOJ To Shutter Decrepit NYC Jail That Housed Epstein

Gothamist reports: The Department of Justice will close an infamous federal jail in Lower Manhattan, at least temporarily, in an effort to address brutal and decrepit conditions that have long plagued the facility. Human rights experts, public defenders, and judges have long criticized the MCC for exposing defendants to harrowing conditions, including filth, vermin, a lack of medical care, and …

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Cuomo Begins Move Out Of NY Governor’s Mansion

The New York Daily News reports: Outgoing Gov. Cuomo is on the move. A U-Haul truck was spotted Friday morning outside of the Executive Mansion in Albany, where Cuomo has remained holed up during his final days in office. The governor has made no public appearances since announcing last week he will resign in the wake of a blistering report …

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FTC Files New Antitrust Complaint Against Facebook

Politico reports: The Federal Trade Commission has filed a new antitrust complaint against Facebook, rebooting a high-stakes case to break up the social media giant after a federal judge tossed the agency’s original complaint in June. Progressive FTC Chair Lina Khan joined with her two Democratic colleagues in a 3-2 party-line vote Wednesday to file the new complaint. The agency’s …

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Census: White Population Shrank For First Time Ever

The Wall Street Journal reports: The first detailed results of the 2020 census show that the total white population shrank for the first time in the nation’s history as the U.S. diversified and continued to grow more rapidly in the South and Southwest. The nation’s population grew just 7.4% during the decade, the second slowest on record for a decennial …

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New Advisory: Federal Workers Who Lie About Their Vax Status Could Face Fines, Termination, Or Prosecution

The Hill reports: Federal employees who lie on a form attesting to their coronavirus vaccination status could be fined, removed from their position or even prosecuted, according to a copy of the form published Friday. President Biden announced last week that his administration would require federal employees and onsite contractors to attest that they are vaccinated or, if they are …

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DeJoy’s Former Company Lands $120M USPS Contract

The Washington Post reports: The U.S. Postal Service will pay $120 million over the next five years to a major logistics contractor that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy previously helped lead and with which his family maintains financial ties, according to DeJoy’s financial disclosure statements. The new contract will deepen the Postal Service’s relationship with XPO Logistics, where DeJoy served as …

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CDC Order Extends Ban On Evictions Until October 3rd

Via press release from the CDC: CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky today signed an order determining the evictions of tenants for failure to make rent or housing payments could be detrimental to public health control measures to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This order will expire on October 3, 2021 and applies in United States …

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FAA Hits Nine Unruly Passengers With Massive Fines

Via press release: The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a new public service announcement and levied $119,000 in civil penalties against passengers for alleged violations of federal regulations as part of its Zero Tolerance efforts against unruly behavior. As part of the FAA’s Zero Tolerance campaign, the web video features children explaining how to behave on …

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Dem NJ Gov Appoints State’s First Openly Gay AG

PBS reports: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday that Andrew Bruck would be appointed acting attorney general for the remainder of Murphy’s term. Bruck, who is first assistant attorney general, has been part of the office’s executive leadership since outgoing Attorney General Gurbir Grewal was confirmed in January 2018. The announcement comes one day after the Securities and Exchange …

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New York City’s MTA Unveils Coming Subway Cars

Gothamist reports: The MTA has unveiled the first of the brand new subway cars that will begin replacing some of the system’s creakiest trains at the end of next year. At a rail yard in Sunset Park on Thursday, transit officials pulled back the curtain on a handful of long-awaited R211 cars. The new model — part of a $1.4 …

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NSA Rebukes Carlson’s Spying Claim In Twitter Post

Deadline reports: The National Security Agency has given Tucker Carlson a lesson in spycraft and fake news. One which looks certain to crank up the volume in the now war of words, real and imagined. In a rare social media rebuke, the agency shot down the Fox News Channel host’s recent self-described “shocking claim” that he and his prime time …

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FAA Okays Virgin Galactic For Passenger Spaceflights

CNBC reports: Virgin Galactic announced Friday that the Federal Aviation Administration granted the company the license it needs to fly passengers on future spaceflights, a key hurdle as the venture completes development testing. “The commercial license that we have had in place since 2016 remains in place, but is now cleared to allow us to carry commercial passengers when we’re …

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Pentagon Issues New Report On 143 UFO Sightings

The New York Times reports: The government still has no explanation for nearly all of the scores of unidentified aerial phenomena reported over almost two decades and investigated by a Pentagon task force, according to a report released on Friday, a result that is likely to fuel theories of otherworldly visitations. A total of 143 reports gathered since 2004 remain …

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NC Dental Clinic Must Pay $30K For HIV Discrimination

Via press release from the Justice Department: The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement to resolve a claim that Night and Day Dental Inc. discriminated against a woman with HIV in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Night and Day Dental operates nine dental offices throughout North Carolina. This settlement is part of the …

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Obama: Voting Rights Bill Must Pass Before Midterms

“We can’t wait until the next election because if we have the same kinds of shenanigans that brought about January 6, if we have that for a couple more election cycles, we’re going to have real problems in terms of our democracy [in the] long term. “Since I left office I’ve tried to make a policy not to weigh in …

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FAA Mulls Proposal For Alabama Spaceport [VIDEO]

The Birmingham News reports: The Federal Aviation Administration is considering a plan to land commercial space vehicles in Alabama. The agency recently released information about a proposal by the Huntsville airport and Nevada-based Sierra Space to use the site roughly 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of downtown to land ships that resemble a small space shuttle with upswept wings. The …

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