Tag Archives: feds

AP Sues Feds For Clinton Emails

Via the Associated Press: The Associated Press filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the State Department to force the release of email correspondence and government documents from Hillary Rodham Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state. The legal action comes after repeated requests filed under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act have gone unfulfilled. They include one request AP made five years …

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DOJ To SCOTUS: Yes On Marriage

Eric Holder’s promised brief has arrived. Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed: The United States government on Friday urged the Supreme Court to strike down bans on same-sex couples marriages across the country, concluding, “There is no adequate justification for such a discriminatory and injurious exercise of state power.” Specifically, the Justice Department urges: “The marriage bans challenged in these cases …

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DOJ To File Multiple Corruption Charges Against Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ)

Via USA Today: The Justice Department is expected to bring criminal charges against Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., involving his relationship with wealthy donor Salomon Melgen and accusations that the senator improperly advocated for the business interests of the Florida eye doctor in return for gifts, according to a person familiar with the matter. The charges are expected within the next …

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Joe Biden Endorses Federal SOGI Rights

Via press release from the HRC: Today, Vice President Joe Biden affirmed his support for federal non-discrimination protections for LGBT people while giving remarks at the Spring Equality Convention for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization. Addressing the tremendous progress made for the LGBT community – from marriage equality …

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New Campaign Seeks To Replace Andrew Jackson On $20 Bill With Famous Women

Via The Week: If the organizers of Women on $20s have their way, you won’t be seeing Andrew Jackson’s face on the $20 bill much longer. Instead of the seventh president of the United States, this new group would like to see Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, or Susan B. Anthony staring back on the $20. They’re targeting this …

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Viral Video Of The Day

Clip recap: While the vast majority of Americans consider themselves unprejudiced, many of us unintentionally make snap judgments about people based on what we see—whether it’s race, age, gender, religion, sexuality, or disability. This may be a significant reason many people in the U.S. report they feel discriminated against. Subconscious prejudice—called “implicit bias”—has profound implications for how we view and …

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Eric Holder On The DOJ’s Marriage Brief

“This week, the Justice Department will file a brief setting forth our position that state bans on same-sex marriage violate the fundamental constitutional guarantee of ‘equal protection of the laws.’ It is clear that the time has come to recognize that gay and lesbian people deserve robust protection from discrimination. Nothing justifies excluding same-sex couples from the institution of marriage. …

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FCC Approves Net Neutrality

Via TechCrunch: As expected, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) passed new net neutrality regulations today on a vote of 3-2, with the Commission’s two Democratic appointees joining Chairman Tom Wheeler in voting yes. The Commission’s two Republican-appointed members both voted no. Notably, the FCC’s plan is now known to have undergone a last-minute revision to remove a potential weakness in …

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Maya Angelou Gets “Forever” Stamp

Via the Los Angeles Times: The U.S. Postal Service will release a “forever” stamp honoring writer Maya Angelou, the agency announced Monday. Angelou, best known for her memoir “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” died last year at age 86. In addition to being an author, Angelou was a professor, a Tony-nominated performer, an official with the Southern Christian …

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Feds Partner With Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Fund On LGBT Homelessness

Via press release from the True Colors Fund: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the True Colors Fund are excited to announce the beginning stages of implementation of the LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Prevention Initiative, a first-of-its-kind effort to identify successful strategies to ensure that no young person is left without a home because of their sexual …

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GOP Re-Introduces Bill To Block Federal Recognition Of Out-Of-State Marriages

“Even though the Supreme Court made clear in United States v. Windsor that the federal government should defer to state ‘choices about who may be married,’ the Obama Administration has disregarded state marriage laws enacted by democratically elected legislatures to uphold traditional marriage. I support traditional marriage and we should reject attempts by the Obama Administration to force same-sex marriage …

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ALABAMA: Judge Granade Sets Thursday Hearing For Mobile County Judge

From the National Center for Lesbian Rights: Moments ago, United States District Judge Callie V. S. Granade granted the request of four Mobile County same-sex couples to add Mobile County Probate Judge Don Davis as a defendant in a lawsuit in which Judge Granade previously struck down Alabama’s marriage equality ban as violating the federal Constitution. Judge Granade scheduled a …

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Anti-Smoking PSA: Left Swipe Dat

Via USA Today: “LEFT. SWIPE.” Rejection. That’s when the PSA goes from high school sitcom to what’s-even-happening-what-is-this-magic music video. Get ready for anti-smoking lyrics, laser light shows and YouTube/pop stars Becky G, Fifth Harmony, King Bach, Grace Helbig, Harley Morenstein, Anna Akana, Jimmy Tatro, Alphacat, Terrence J and Timothy DeLaGhetto getting down to a shockingly catchy “Left Swipe Dat” beat. …

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Obama’s Budget Gives Social Security Benefits to Gay Couples Nationwide

Via Talking Points Memo: In his fiscal 2016 budget, released Monday, President Barack Obama proposed allowing married same-sex couples to receive spousal Social Security benefits, regardless of which state they live in. Currently, married same-sex couples lose their benefits it they move to a state that does not recognize their unions. “The budget proposes to amend the Social Security Act …

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Drone Crashes On White House Lawn

Via ABC News: Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary issued the following statement Monday morning: “On 1/26/15, at approximately 3:08 a.m., a Secret Service Uniformed Division officer posted on the South Grounds of the White House complex heard and observed a ‘quad copter’ device, approximately two feet in diameter, flying at a very low altitude and ultimately crashing on the southeast …

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Eric Holder: Federal Government Will Back Same-Sex Marriage Plaintiffs At SCOTUS

“After the Justice Department’s decision not to defend the constitutionality of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, the Supreme Court sent a powerful message that Americans in same-sex marriages are entitled to equal protection and equal treatment under the law. This landmark decision marked a historic step toward equality for all American families. “The Supreme Court has announced …

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MAP: Federal Aid By State

Via the Washington Post: Nearly $1 in $3 in state revenue comes from the federal government, according to a new analysis. While taxes are responsible for most state general revenues, the federal government is responsible for about 31.5 percent of the total, according to the nonprofit Tax Foundation. Mississippi is most reliant on the federal government, with 45.3 percent of …

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New Life For Full DOMA Repeal

Via press release from Freedom To Marry: Today Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) reintroduced the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and ensure that the federal government respects all valid marriages across all agencies. The bill has 42 original cosponsors in the Senate, including every returning Senator to …

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US Census: Population Is 320M

Via Reuters: The U.S. population is seen at 320.09 million people as of Jan. 1, up 0.73 percent from a year earlier, the Census Bureau said on Monday. The Census Bureau said in a statement that the figure represents an increase of about 11.35 million people, or 3.67 percent, since the last population count on April 1, 2010. “In January …

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FDA Eases Gay Blood Ban, Donations Allowed After One Year Of Celibacy

Via Reuters: Gay men will be able to donate blood one year after their last sexual contact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday, under a proposal that will be introduced early next year to end a ban that has been in place since 1983. Scientific evidence shows the move will not create risks for the nation’s blood …

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