Tag Archives: feds

Bloomberg reports: President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is considering a Silicon Valley investor close to billionaire Peter Thiel to head the Food and Drug Administration, according to people familiar with the matter. Jim O’Neill, the Thiel associate, hasn’t been officially selected, according to the people, who asked to remain anonymous because the decision process is private, and the Trump team …

Hate group leader Linda Harvey writes at World Net Daily: Many Americans have wept as sons, brothers and friends have perished from AIDS, and long for an Uncle Sam public health message that tells the truth: No male ever needs to engage in anal sex with another male, and we need to stop accommodating homosexual behavior and “gay” identity at …

USA Today reports: U.S. Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning has informed tribal leaders that the Army Corps of Engineers will halt construction on the controversial Dakota Access pipeline, the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe said here Sunday. Dave Archambault II said the Army has denied the permit to bore under Lake Oahe, the reservoir behind the Missouri …

Will this also be the last time we see the red ribbon hanging at the White House? Via press release: December 1 marks World AIDS Day across the globe, and serves as a way to recommit ourselves to ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat. Throughout his Administration, President Obama propelled America’s leadership on HIV/AIDS by both developing the first …

A glimmer of good news, for now. The Voice Of America reports: A compromise version of a massive U.S. defense policy bill omits controversial provisions such as a clause Democrats said allowed discrimination against homosexuals and a requirement that women register for the draft. The $618.7 billion National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, will likely come up for a vote …

Law Newz reports: Steven Schooner, a law professor at George Washington University, raised serious legal concerns about Donald Trump and his ongoing interest in Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C., especially after a report in The Washington Post that said foreign diplomats felt pressure to stay there. He’s not the only legal expert to raise constitutional questions. The Trump Organization …

The change was made last week but we were rather busy with other things. Reuters reports: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Thursday it added seven new agents, including the HIV virus and an industrial solvent, to its list of carcinogens. The list identifies factors including chemicals, agents like viruses, X-rays and ultraviolet radiation, and divides …

CBS News reports: CBS News has learned about a potential terror threat for the day before the election. Sources told CBS News senior investigative producer Pat Milton that U.S. intelligence has alerted joint terrorism task forces that al Qaeda could be planning attacks in three states for Monday. It is believed New York, Texas and Virginia are all possible targets, …

NBC News reports: The U.S. government believes hackers from Russia or elsewhere may try to undermine next week’s presidential election and is mounting an unprecedented effort to counter their cyber meddling, American officials told NBC News. The effort is being coordinated by the White House and the Department of Homeland Security, but reaches across the government to include the CIA, …

The Washington Post reports: The Obama administration on Friday officially accused Russia of carrying out a wide-ranging campaign to interfere with the 2016 elections, including by hacking the computers of the Democratic National Committee and other political officials. The denunciation, made by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security, came as pressure was …

An innovative campaign and the song really IS fantastic. Mark King breaks it down at My Fabulous Disease: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has produced a music video that joyfully educates gay men about HIV prevention options. And it is foot-stomping fabulous. The song, “Collect My Love,” was released by The Knocks and it features vocals by …

Vice News reports: Working at Palantir sounds pretty sweet. According to jobs site Glassdoor, the secretive data analysis startup pays software engineers six-figure salaries, and interns can get $7,500 a month plus corporate housing in places like Palo Alto or New York. But according to the Department of Labor, white applicants have a dramatically unfair advantage in landing those gigs. …

The Champaign News-Gazette reports: A Social Security Administration employee who believes he shouldn’t have to watch a workplace diversity video about the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, because it violates his religious beliefs, fears he may lose his job because of it. David Hall, 42, of Tolono has worked for the federal agency for 14 years, based in the …

Comedian Trae Crowder takes an unusually serious turn in his latest clip. Watch below as he frankly discusses the “pillbilly” epidemic and how prescription drug abuse is ravaging rural America, including members of his own family. Crowder takes particular aim at the FDA’s recent decision to place the pain relief supplement Kratom on its most-restrictive Schedule I list. Kratom is …

Via Politico: ITT Tech, one of the nation’s largest chains of for-profit colleges, announced Tuesday that it is shutting down – exactly 12 days after the Education Department banned the company from enrolling new students using federal student aid. “The actions of and sanctions from the U.S. Department of Education have forced us to cease operations of the ITT Technical …

Via the USA Today: Seeking to make the Clinton Foundation a major election issue, Donald Trump said Monday that a special prosecutor should probe the financial dealings of the organization begun by ex-president Bill Clinton and current Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Trump told supporters at a rally in Akron, Ohio, that the Justice Department and FBI did a “whitewash” on …

USA Today reports: Sorry, Deez Nuts, Left Shark and Toy Testicles. The folks over at the Federal Election Commission are not amused by your claims to be running for the presidency, and this week they announced plans to crack down on the wave of fake candidates filing paperwork with the agency. “The Commission has authorized staff to send verification letters …

The Washington Post reports: The Justice Department plans to end its use of private prisons after officials concluded the facilities are both less safe and less effective at providing correctional services than those run by the government. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates announced the decision on Thursday in a memo that instructs officials to either decline to renew the contracts …

Politico reports: Donald Trump offered a blunt explanation for why he wants retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn at his side as he gets his first classified briefing at FBI headquarters on Wednesday — he doesn’t trust intelligence information coming from those currently in charge. “I think he’s a great guy. I’ve gotten to know him. He’s been a real fan …

The Huffington Post reports: The big health care news this week came from Aetna, which announced on Monday it was dramatically scaling back participation in the Affordable Care Act ― thereby reducing insurer competition and forcing customers scattered across 11 states to find different sources of coverage next year. Aetna officials said the pullout was necessary because of Obamacare’s problems …